Anyone ever have those moments where you sit down at night after the kids go to bed and you feel as though you are a failure as a parent?  Not you?  Well, if you've never felt this way you might not want to read this and see how most of us parents feel every once in a while.  Or actually maybe you should read it so you'll see how it feels.  🙂

Ha!  I'm joking because I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that all of you that are reading this and are parents have felt this at least once in your lifetime, if not at least once in the past two days.

Today I felt like none of my kids listened to a word that I said.  It was as if they never tuned in until I had said it 3 times and sometimes 4.  At one point I truly felt as though they didn't even know I was there.  Was I too hard on them?  Was I asking too much?  Did I neglect them somehow and they were paying me back?

Here were my most common phrases tonight:

• “If you do that again you're going to sit in time out.”
• “Didn't you hear me say if you do that again you would sit in time out?”
• “Do you want to sit in time out?”
• “This is the last time I'm going to say this.”
• “Last time.”
• “Okay you're going to time out. …. okay one more chance.  BUT that's it.”
• “If I say this a fourth time you are going to time out.”
• “Don't make me say that again.”
• “I'm serious.”

Do you see a theme here?

I'm weak.

They don't listen.

I sucked at parenting today.

By the end of the night I feel as though had I required “1st time obedience” (wow, imagine that!) from the get go we would all be in a better mood.  Then I realized that I've gone too far, so I just want to get through the day and start over again tomorrow.

That's where my guilt then steps in.   I feel as though since I have someone else watching them in the morning while I am working I feel like they're mad and acting out at me.  Then I wake up and realize that's stupid, they aren't acting out, they are just NOT LISTENING!

So, how am I coping with this feeling of failure tonight?  Sitting on the couch watching THE VOICE, eating mac n' cheese (what a comfort food!!), drinking wine (the good stuff, not just out of a box) and checking out tattoo's on this cool new site I found today through another cool blog that you are going to want to check out.

Well although I really am doing all the above I am also reflecting on the fact that I truly don't think I'm a failure as a parent.  That's a bit drastic of a statement I know, but it is a true feeling of how we feel as moms sometimes.  True or false, we still feel it sometimes.

Here is some truth that I will cling to tonight  ….. Lamentations 3: 22-23 “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

^{Tomorrow is a new day with new mercies.  Great is HIS faithfulness.  He created me to be a mom.  He will be faithful to help me in that area.  He created me to love these kids.  He will prepare me to do that well.  He created me to train and prepare these kids.  OH JESUS GIVE ME STRENGTH in this one!!}

If you are a mom and today was hard.  I'm with you.  Let's stand together and proclaim that TOMORROW is a new day.  We'll pick ourselves up by our boot straps and start over.  God's mercies are new each morning.

Besides, how could these cute kids possibly be anything but perfect!!!