Last night I had one of those ugly parent moments. Those moments actually when you don't want to be a parent, at least not of the "naughty" child!! It was one of those, "are you serious, YOU DID WHAT?
We should have all been suspicious when the two little ladies quietly disappeared into the adjoining room and closed the door. But we were socializing, and enjoying a night with friends and their kids (which may now be our last, ha ha) , everyone was having a good time, and really what bad things could happen, we were right there!. Yet it did. They came out and it was written all over their faces. Okay not their faces, but, it was evident by the missing chunk of hair by our friends child.
I anxiously took Whitney into the next room to have a little chat. When I confronted her, she blankly looked, and didn't respond. *(definitely, not how I thought she should, in this case). I wanted tears, remorse, sadness, even fear.... what did we get? Nothing. I thought, maybe a little spanking will help, but would that help me release my anger, or her release her remorse. Isn't that horrible? To be disappointed that your child isn't all destroyed with their "sin." I wonder if that is how Heavenly Father feels when we don't respond how he thinks we should when we do something "naughty?" I'm pretty sure he'd like to throw me over his knee every once in a while and teach me a little lesson.....
So then all we can do is try to teach the glorious thing called "consequences." The consequences to this was; that we all left the "party," and Whitney then was to have a day without all the things she loves, she would be grounded for the entire day. Wow, it's been a long day, especially for me. Whitney is still plugging along. (Again not responding how I thought she would, no tears, no remorse, no nothing). Hopefully, she is beginning to understand you ultimately choose your consequences by your actions. (A process we constantly learn, right).
Anyway, someone asked me why Whitney is absent from the "leaf/ fall" pictures (below) that were taken earlier today, and this is why. However, if you could look really close, and into the window, you would see that Whitney is there watching from the sidelines. (Reminds me of when I was young and grounded, and I watched out the window while all the kids played without me. I learned a lot that day (actually I was grounded an entire week!!) Hopefully Whitney will have learned something too. Thank goodness that tomorrow, is a new day, one that she (and I) anxiously await.
Sorry Jocelyn, Thank goodness that hair grows back!
