Parenting always produces challenges and this last year has posed new ones for me. When my boys were little things were much easier, much more black and white. No, we don't yell in public, no, we don't run into the road, yes, we hold hands, yes, we say please and thank you... you get my point. As we've approached the tween years and now enter the teen years things got a little more gray for me. Like how do you deal with an attitude problem brought on by no particular reason or what do you do when your 12-year-old hears you ask to take out the trash and then on the way to pick up the bag 5 feet away he forgets and walks on by to go do whatever?

So the other day we had a great moment!! It went something like this:

I was on the phone with a friend in need, I knew it would be a lengthy conversation so I suggested V go to the neighbors house and ask his friend if he wanted to go to the homeschool park day with us. I informed him I'd be on the phone until the moment we had to walk out the door.

I get off the phone and we all head out only V heads to the neighbors house. "I don't think so", this option had already come about it was now time to leave. He got upset, I got upset, I raised my voice and we headed off to the park. For whatever reason we couldn't let it go and neither of us would "drop the ball" as we put it, until finally I posed one question "What causes fights and quarrels among you?" James 4:1

Silence

Then we both responded with "Doesn't it come from the selfish desires that battle within you, you want something but don't get it." James 4:1-2a

I then asked for forgiveness because I wanted obedience and didn't get it. He too asked for forgiveness because he wanted to go over to his friends and didn't get it. We both wanted something and didn't get it and it resulted in a quarrel.

How awesome that we as parents don't have to have the answers, all we have to have is the Word of God. Thank you Lord for the truth of Your Word, it brings peace, it calms hearts and it settles arguments.