“Get your running shoes on, ladies. You can run while I make lunch.”
This was The Bad. I probably should have warned them ahead of time…like at breakfast.
That’s how it started. We have this weird lag while I make lunch, and I thought it would be a great time to fit in the girls’ movement.
“I don’t wanna.”
This was where I made my first mistake.
“I don’t care what you want. I know what’s best for you. Please go get your running shoes.”
I should have said, “You may choose to run now, before lunch, or after you finish school before you watch your movie.”
What ensued next was The Ugly as I dug in my heels and forced the issue.
Enter mistakes #2-#102.
She got Ugly to people around her, too…unprovoked. She refused to respond to simple questions.
Two hours later, we were still at a stand off. In the meantime, she did and said somethings that made me realize she could not be trusted without direct supervision.
Until she was ready to comply with a re-do to practice responding with respect to me, I required that she remain within arms reach of me. She sat on my lap while I did spelling lessons, followed me downstairs to do laundry, and sat at the table while I prepared this week’s student ministry lesson.
By God’s grace, I was able to do this all without escalating the situation. God even provided enough compassion for a couple hugs and backrubs.
An exhausting 90 minutes later, she was finally ready. That may be the longest time-in on record for our family.
“Let’s get our shoes on together. We’ll finish our running together.”
Almost 5 hours after the initial request, mission accomplished!
That was The Good.
Straight out definace has been an issue lately. Old habits die hard so we’ve fought it in our traditional, logical way. You’d think we learn, but we constantly need reminders. I’m brushing up on my trust-based parenting techniques, breathing deeply, and praying madly. If today (and the last week) are any indication, we’re buckling down for long journey. Of course, we knew this when we signed up to bring home 3 teenages but it’s different when the rubber meets the road.