Goodbye Grumpy Mom: Say Hello To Renewed JoySample

SPILLED MILK AND SPILLED EMOTIONS 

Have you ever been scared of your kids? Not scared for them, but scared that they’ll dictate how your day will turn out? I’ve been there, and it’s utterly exhausting. And isn’t this part of the reason we get so frustrated with them sometimes—because they have single-handedly chosen to destroy our day? We put undue pressure on our kids to keep us happy (or at least to behave well so we can pretend to be happy). But this expectation is misaligned. The truth is, if we are living by emotions that are based on circumstances, we will inevitably be disappointed. 

If we didn’t put so much pressure on our children to accomplish what they were never intended to do, I think we’d enjoy them a lot more. We’d see that accidentally spilled glass of milk as a quick cleanup job rather than as something to snap a photo of, post on social media, and rant about how all of life with kids is messy. In that moment, we have a choice: we can take the situation in stride, or we can make the dangerous jump to the thought that life isn’t what we hoped it would be. Cue depression. Then our kid says something that normally wouldn’t be a big deal, but we’re already spinning out of control. Cue anger. And then we see our kid’s face and realize we messed up. Cue sadness and guilt. And finally, cue wanting to throw in the towel. 

In these moments, we need to hold on to the truth of Romans 8:6: “The mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.” We will never find life or peace if our minds are consumed with every fleeting emotion that vies for space there.