What's a mother to do?

I have three silly little boys. One in particular is really silly. Can you guess which one?

He is my "spirited" child, 2nd born, now 9-1/2 years old and so full of life.

I am participating in a summer book club. We are reading The Ministry of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson. I love Sally's perspective and ideas on parenting. She encourages moms in several areas. In a recent post I talked about the first area, which is grace. This past week the topic was inspiration. I felt good as I realized I am already inspiring my boys. I love to point out their good qualities and talk of how God can use them for His glory. Daily I try to point out to them things I see in this world, in life, that points to God. However, I do have stressful moments, get busy, distracted and struggle with being positive.

Today I had a stressful moment. My extra silly son is extremely determined. If he wants something he will ask over and over. It drives me nuts! I often get frustrated with him but today I wanted to inspire him. We were driving home and he found suckers in the glove compartment. He asked and I said, "No!" He asked again and again and again... I kept saying, "No!" After the 12th time of asking I was about to yell at him but I stopped. I love that he is so determined. It is a quality that will help him in life. So instead of yelling I said, "I love that you are so determined. Determination is a great quality. God is really going to use that someday in your life. However, when I say no, I mean no!" He stopped after that. I felt good that I did not crush him by saying, "Stop pestering me!" He is not a pest, he is just determined. It is a quality that God has given him for a reason. I want my son to be inspired, to use that quality to serve God.

Thank you Sally for your inspiration! The Ministry of Motherhood is a great book!