Patience

With the holiday weekend, I have been a bit preoccupied.  Perfect isn't it?  My whole goal is to spend more time with my family, and I have just spent four days with them?  I think so.  Just to a note, we had a really great holiday.  I was able to focus more on my little family and have a really good time with them than I have in a while.

Today in Relief Society, that is the meeting the women in our church attend, a lesson was given on patience.  One woman made a comment that one area in life we learn patience is with our children.  What a true statement!  I have never had to practice more patience than with my own family!

As a stay-at-home mom sometimes my day is somewhat monotonous, and it is really easy for me to lose my temper when my little children do not obey the 6th or 7th times I have asked them to do something, usually something like pick up their rooms or the play room.  Is it really too much to ask to for a clean house?

I was reminded of a better perspective last night.  My sister-in-law was visiting and was telling us about helping out my other sister-in-law.  She said instead of yelling at the kids to do what you wanted, to get their attention and then tell them what you wanted.  That's what she had done all week as she watched my nephews.

My visiting sister-in-law is no longer "in the trenches."  Her daughter is 17.  However she was right.  Instead of yelling at my kids over and over which seems easier to do, sometimes we just need to take the time, to get down on our kids' levels, make eye contact with them, and tell them, without yelling.

So I tried this today, and guess what!?  It worked!  How had I forgotten this?  I still had to ask a couple of times, but not 6 or 7!  Isn't it easier to take the time to ask the right way, possible once or twice, instead of yelling 6 or 7 times and going hoarse in the process?

Another thing I learned this weekend that really had nothing to do with patience but reminded me of how precious my children are was an experience we had on Friday.  My husband had gone over to some friends' of ours to work on our boat, because their son was helping him out.  I had taken our kids over for a little while, and when it was time to go, we couldn't find one of our 6 year olds.  We looked everywhere on our friends' property.  They looked in the house, and I started driving down the street wondering if he had started walking home.

Then we found him.  My husband was mad for making us look for him, but I was relieved!  I didn't know where he was or what had happened to him.  I was so grateful we had found him.  I didn't care that he was hiding because he wanted to stay!  I was just so grateful that he was safe!  That is what love is.  That is what patience is.