Saturday was Kole's birthday and when he was opening his gifts and we were taking pictures, Krews got his feelings hurt. He said we only cared about Kole. (Because I clearly didn't get Krews little something too knowing they get a little jealous sometimes) Krews was having another instance of growing pains.
Fast forward to the next Friday and Kyle took him to breakfast and then to school. I asked Kyle how it went and he said "Well he was crying, but I'm sure he will be fine."
And that's when my heart almost stopped.
I immediately text one of his teachers and she said he was doing ok and that she would keep a close eye on him. It turns out Kyle dropped him off in a different place than usual (WHY?) and he got upset. He said he wanted to get him thru the line faster because Krews was nervous about being late. Luckily, when Kyle saw how upset he was, he parked the truck and walked him inside. Krews is a lot like me...if his schedule or normal routine feels off it makes him a little nervous.
What I have learned thru all of this is that it is HARD being a parent and raising kids thru growing pains. This was the first time we have dealt with emotional growing pains now that our kids are getting older. In the past, it has been growing pains based on toddler things of getting older. It makes me nervous for as my kids get older. As a parent, you have to be on it and aware of every little thing going on with your kids. It also makes me sad because what do kids without involved parents do to get thru their growing pains? Any parents of older boys who have been thru this phase, do you have any advice for me?
Oh, goodness...how I remember those early days. I remember asking your mom if we could just move to an island where we could protect you all from anyone who would hurt your tender hearts. I would say that you guys are doing the exact right things...just encouraging your boys and praising their good choices and kind words, always using Jesus as the example of how we all should act. It won't get any easier...I'm sure you can remember some of the hurts of your school years. But if you continue to "train up a child in the way he should go," they will get stronger and more able to handle their growing pains. But Mommy's growing pains? They never end, because our hearts are tightly knit to our children's hearts. I'm no expert by any means. I pretty much did everything "wrong" raising our kids. I mean, #4 slept in our room until he was 7. I'm pretty sure all the parenting books would frown upon that! Parenting is a journey...there will be highs and lows and you will get some things right and you will make some mistakes. Just find what works for YOUR FAMILY and don't worry if it's not exactly the way another person does it. And give yourself some GRACE. I wrote here about our family's experience raising boys: http://martysmoosetracks.blogspot.com/2013/06/boys.html
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