Consistency

Growing up, I remember hearing parents, moms especially, say that they were just tired.  It had been a long day for them and all they did was listen to their children whine or break up arguments or deal out consequences.  I honestly remember thinking that didn't sound that bad.  I mean, how could whining or disciplining so much turn your day into a bad day.

Now that I'm a mom, I understand.  That's one of those things that you'll never know until you experience it.  And now I know why it's so tiring.  It goes back to consistency.  It's hard and tiring to be consistent.  It's hard and tiring to follow through with what you said would happen.  It's hard and tiring to always give and not hear a "thank you" very often.  It's hard and tiring when you are trying to lay aside yourself and focus on someone else when you're exhausted from never sitting down all day.  It's hard and tiring when you are constantly breaking up arguments with toys, etc.  Despite knowing how important it is for me to be consistent in my disciplining, it's hard.  There are days when Daddy T walks in the house and I say "they're all yours.  I can't deal with it anymore."  I honestly feel like my head has taken so much stimulation in that it can't take in anything else. 

I can tell the days where I'm consistent and the days I'm not because B's behavior is so much better when I'm hard on him and keep him in line from the get go.  We always have fun on those days because he knows that he can test me but won't get away with it.  He also knows that by the end of the day, I'm exhausted and he tests me more then because he does know he can get away with more at that point.  I've been working hard at focusing more on this issue the past week and for the most part, we've had a great week.  There's been peace at the house because he knows that I only give my instructions once and I know he can obey the first time.  He's smart and doesn't need me to remind him.  He proved my point on Tuesday when I told him that we needed to clean his room.  I was cleaning the living room and I called back to him to make sure he was obeying.  He told me he wasn't cleaning, so I went back there to discipline him.  However, as soon as I walked in I noticed the clean floor.  He had obeyed and put EVERYTHING where it should be.  I didn't have to discipline him, although we did have a talk about lying.  That's the other issue that's come up lately.  (He doesn't understand the word, yet, so that makes it a little difficult.)

So for you moms like me that are tired and need a little encouragement, do know that consistency pays off.  At least that's what my dad says!  (As he looks at me and says, "I remember.  Been there done that."  Then he tries to tell me how I acted that way.  I never believe him about his examples.  I know I never acted that bad.....)