Mean Mom

Sometimes my kids think I'm the "mean mom."  I want them to practice piano, clean their room, do their homework, kitchen chore and house chore before playing with friends.  It's not easy for me to have fun when my house is messy, which is almost every day.  In reality I'm not very consistent and my kids don't actually do all of this, because I'm too tired to deal with the resistance  or too busy teaching piano or running errands or going to meetings to enforce the "rules."  Then I start to feel discouraged because I'm not teaching them to be responsible (clean up after your self), or disciplined (practice piano even when its hard).  I do too much for them and not enough with them and then feel resentful about their ingratitude.

Today I overheard Alyssa playing "dentist" with her baby dolls.  Apparently a couple of them were acting up  at the dentist, so she sent them to jail for being bad.  I guess I'm not the meanest mom in the house!  Maybe she thinks going in time out is like going to jail:)

I loved the comment talk about having a Christ-centered home by Sister Reeves in General Conference 
"Some of you have heard me tell how overwhelmed my husband, Mel, and I felt as the parents of four young children. As we faced the challenges of parenting and keeping up with the demands of life, we were desperate for help. We prayed and pleaded to know what to do. The answer that came was clear: “It is OK if the house is a mess and the children are still in their pajamas and some responsibilities are left undone. The only things that really need to be accomplished in the home are daily scripture study and prayer and weekly family home evening.”

 I guess according to these standards we are doing a good job, even if our family nights are sometimes less than stellar or spiritual, we are consistent.