When life hands you snowballs...

Well, life has been crazy. Yes busy, but more than that. Don't you hate it when you work so hard, teaching the children to make good choices, are positive that they know right from wrong, and know you can depend on them to choose the right... and then they still chose the wrong in public? I have been reshaping. RESHAPING\ree-SHAY-ping\v: 1: To shape, form, or organize again or anew; 2:the mud has hit the fan and I'm cleaning house. When Achilles went TDY 3 weeks ago I suddenly realized that my children don't feel they have to listen to me, until I am mad. I realized that I haven't been paying as close attention as I thought I was. I have a very serious liar in my home, and didn't even realize it. I realized I had let my 2 youngest children get away with a lot more than I would have EVER let my 3 older girls get away with. I had kids who disobeyed even their primary teachers, and didn't even know. My guess is that the teacher was afraid to come to me. It scared me. I realized I had turned into the sort of mother I detested. My mother was a good mom. Oh, she had to learn from scratch, and it was harder for her I think because she really didn't have a mother to teach her while she was growing up, and didn't have a mom to call when she was so frustrated with us, she didn't know what to do. My mother used to yell at us when we had pushed her to her limit and ususally beyond. I never looked at that like, OH MAN...I pushed her to the limits and that is my fault. I looked at it like OH MAN, my mom has cracked up. or OH MAN, she's mean. I'm sure she is having a good laugh now. So, I stepped up to the plate and revamped my parenting skills. There have been repercussions. Oh man have there ever. They have all decided to try out my resolve... and not just once or twice. My precious young women decided to have a snowball fight at church with the cute aaronic priesthood holders.... and when it was time to get home, I told them to get into the car, they felt they didn't have to listen to me until I screamed, at which time they dashed to the car to end the embarrassment. They were stunned that I would embarrass them so much. Yesterday, when we took them bowling--after a very long morning of trying to get them to finish their chores--we met several families from our ward. After the teens were done, they followed the smaller children into the play area. This area is attached to the bowling alley, but has a side door to the outside as well. When I came in to check on my little ones, there were my teens throwing snowballs with the other teens all over the play area. I was furious. I freaked out. I made them clean every single speck of snow out of the area, and then marched them over to borrow the mop from the manager, to clean up what else was wet. One teenager came over to me and said "your girls weren't the only ones who made this mess" and I shot back with something along the lines of "Well, my daughters know better, and I am not in charge of anyone else's kids". She skulked off...and I immediately felt horrible for unleashing my anger on her. So, I went over and apologized to her and her mother. The kids continue to push, daily. But I will not give up. Ever. I love them too much.