Lessons Learned

When one is tired, and is dealing with a tired boy, getting frustrated and angry doesn't help. What helps is redirection of a tired child. :)

Scenario....had a busier day than planned.
Boy had napped but wasn't quite himself as the day was getting on.
HE wanted to "help" mommy do dishes by washing all his trucks in my rinse water.

I was finding that rather inconvenient so removed said child to the living room.
This resulted in angry child and a getting REALLY frustrated and bordering on angry mommy.

I stopped. And it was like God said.. PATIENCE, girl child. THINK!

So... I "accidentally" kicked his cars all over the kitchen and "Oh oh Justin, Look what happened with your cars."
He looked puzzled. Stared hard at those way-ward cars.
"Oh, I think you need to clean them up before you play in the water." As I put his car bucket down with the cars.

Screams of "I no wanna in a bucket. I wanna in a box"! then when I got him a box.... a "No wanna play dough box".
My response was "I don't care Justin.... just put them in something, some where, then you can play in the water".
He looked at me with this sad little face and i said "You can figure it out buddy, what do the cars need to go in"?
He stood quietly so I continued with the dishes.... and then I heard it....
A lawnmower in my house????

Yes...a playdough box was turned into a lawnmower who then gathered up ALL the cars. Every single last one of them which then proceeded to drive all over the kitchen floor.
"I driving lawnmower mommy! I drive it, eat all trucks up mommy!"
I smiled. He smiled.

I finished the dishes, I got us some ice cream for snack and then that lawnmower drove into the living room to become a train truck and all was good in the life of the Vellenga household.

Ah... isn't God good, making us pause and rethink ourselves? :)