Oh be careful little mouth

I can hear my precious little angel playing with her toys.  "She's so sweet", I think to myself as I walk by her room and see her patting Curious George on the back and comforting him from whatever had upset him.  I continue walking on to the kitchen to begin preparing dinner, but midway on my journey, I hear something terrible! 

WHAT was THAT???

I'm confused.

I hear it again. 

I turn and head back to the angel's room but I don't get very far before I see her putting George in the corner...."her" corner.  Her tone of voice is not what I would describe as beautiful.

"What did George do?" I ask.

"He was being very naughty."

"Ok, but what did he do to deserve his punishment?"

"He was being VERY naughty."

At this point, I explain to the little angel how important it is, when someone gets in trouble that their Mama or Daddy explain to them why they got in trouble, so they can learn to not do it again.  She shrugs me off.  I reiterate myself.  She shrugs me off again.  I finish by telling her to be nice to George.

I begin heading back to the kitchen. 

THERE is that awful sound again.  She is YELLING at George, and it sounds like she is chanelling a monster! 

Suddenly it dawns on me.....

Oh, Lord???  That's not what I sound like is it????  And the light clicks on.  We do alway have a "talk" after Aila gets in trouble about what she had done that was naughty, but do I ever question myself for the way I talk to her while she is in trouble?  No.  I DIDN'T, anyway.  I will now.  I had always thought that I was just talking louder so she could hear me over her crying/screaming/tantrum throwing.  Hmmm...now this doesn't seem like such a good idea.  I guess I wasn't giving her enough credit.  Even in her fits, she was paying attention to my every move and learning from me. 

My conclusion...work on it....

and....

kids are scary! :) 

A friend of mine recently posted on her blog about how she was striving to love her children in the spirit.  1 Corinthians 13 is the perfect place for me to start trying to correct some of what I've been doing wrong.

"Love is patient and kind.  Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude.  Love does not demand its own way.  Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged."  1 Cor 13:4,5