Parenting with Grace and Mercy

i am writing this post thinking and living life in the throws of being a single, full-time working mom of a precious little 3 year old girl.

my goal is not to make it til she is 18 and get her out of my house.
my goal is not to make it til she graduates from college.
my goal is not to make it til she finds the man of her dreams and is married.

my goal is to raise a special, genuine human being who loves everyone, no matter where they come from, who they are, or what they have done. a confident, strong, happy, caring and at peace woman, who knows that God loves her no matter what and so does her mom.

as a parent you face challenges daily. i do not claim to have a clue. but i can tell you this, i know the love of God. His mercy and His grace is what has shaped me and is what i cling to daily.

when she challenges me i have to be aware of what is happening - it is not easy. sometimes it would be so much easier to just react. but i want to chose my words carefully, as not to damage her sweet spirit - do i always get this right, no!

look at the situation surrounding her behavior.
look at myself and how i am acting/reacting.
realize she has feelings.
ask myself: what can i teach her.

a snap reaction normally is out of anger and can cause damage - this is what i believe.
my goal is not to damage this sweet spirit, but to nurture and love that spirit.

i try to have fun with her. make things with her. include her in activities. cook with her, even though it is messy sometimes. let her help clean and not go behind her "fixing" it. let her fold towels and put them away, even though they are in a pile under the sink.
she needs to proud of who she is, feel apart of our family, feel like she is contributing and know that she is appreciated.

i strive to enjoy the small things in life (as one of my favorite bloggers writes about regularly - Kelle Hampton). and to make lasting memories for us to both have for life. they may not be perfect memories but they are our memories.

these are my opinions and mostly written down to help me remember on days that are tough

doozledoorf