Struggling

Just breathe.

Tread water.

Pray and be faithful.

A new struggle is surfacing.  

This is a hard post to write.  

I love my L with all my heart.  

He has such a big heart and can be so loving.  But I don't know who this child is lately.  

This week we have hit a new low.  Not that we've never had behavioral issues with him before but we're facing a new challenge and I'm not sure how to handle it.

There is lying.

There is sneaking.

There is disrespect and backtalk.

And not in small doses or I wouldn't be writing this.  The first thing that comes to mind is maybe new exposure in school.  I really can't think of anything else that has changed that may have brought on this level of increased bad behavior.  He's using words we've never used at home and certainly don't approve of.  He's lying about almost everything.  I get lying, I understand why kids (and adults) do it.  But he lies about things that don't even make any sense.  Like things he wouldn't even get in trouble for regardless of his answer.  And the backtalk.  OOOHH the backtalk, dished out at every turn.  It almost feels like living with a rebellious teenager.  Of course E is soaking all this up and emulating his big brother which just compounds our frustration.

What could be different about kindergarten versus preschool?  Is there really that much difference from the 6 hours a week he was in preschool last year to the 35 hours a week of kindergarten? 
I just don't know...

But I do know that this too shall pass, it's just going to be one
of those struggles we need to go through.

And it surely won't be the last.

I pray for the right words to say to L, the right actions to take, and peace in our home.

In a Southern state of mind.....

Come sit a spell :)

I know many of you are lucky enough to live "down south" but around here we experience severe northern exposure.  Along with the colder temps we suffer from an inhospitable attitude.

Oh I'm not saying its like that in the entire north, 

but where I live...um yea it's the norm.

My husband and I lived in a little po-dunk town in North Carolina for 2 brief years.  It was an unbelievable experience for us.  The absolute love and kindness we were shown in our time there was so enlightening to the way life could be.  When we moved back here we swore we did not want to lose that southern state of mind.  I think we kept it for a bit but looking back now I see we have let it go.  

I think it's time to resurrect some good 'ol southern hospitality!

: :

Like saying hello.  

I mean its commonplace here to walk past someone and not look at them or say anything.  Come on!  We don't even acknowledge people's existence!  How sad is that?  I'm gonna work on saying "hi" to everyone I pass by.  I may even really freak them out and remark on the day or ask how they are.  

That'll throw 'em for a loop!

: :
And opening the door for people.  

Oh we do this sometimes but not NEARLY often enough.

: :

Offering your seat to someone else.

: :

Stopping to help when we see someone struggling and not worrying if its going to make you late.  

That's a big one I'm guilty of :[

: :

Saying "Sir" and Ma'am".  

We always said we wanted our kids to show respect in this way but we have stopped doing it ourselves a lot of times.  One thing we have held on to well is saying "Mister" or "Miss" before someone's first name and our boys have caught on to it.  I just love the way it sounds...."Miss Diane, may I have some juice please?"  Perfectly polite little boys :)

Here's to sweet tea sippin', 
sweet talkin' southerners 
(and northerners in that 
sounthern state of mind)

We love y'all!