Frustrated Mamas

School has begun! Having a 3rd grader, 1st grader, pre-schooler and toddling, teething twins who have been taking early naps- waking up right when school starts- has really been testing my patience levels, never known to be terribly stable. The other day I was looking for alternative ideas for girls to play with besides princess-y dolls and fashionista-type stuff, so I decided to check out and see if Nogreaterjoy.org had any good ideas. It was started up by Michael and Debi Pearl- they wrote To Train Up a Child and Created to be His Helpmeet- they tend to be no-nonsense people who have some good thoughts, as well as some I don't agree with. At any rate, I didn't find what I was looking for, but I did find this article written by Michael Pearl back in 1996. Here is an excerpt and I'll put the link for it at the bottom in case you're interested in reading the rest! It is terribly convicting (at least for me!) and still very encouraging...

"Are you a frustrated parent? Is your brow drawn tight as if pulled by draw strings? If parenting is not enjoyable, be assured, you have a bad attitude. When your children look into your face what do they see? They are not fooled. They know what you feel toward them. Your face is a graph of approval or rejection. Verbal "positive affirmation" is not enough; in fact, it is worse than nothing if there is not genuine delight in your heart. Children can see through a parent who is made of muddy water. If they see disappointment and criticism they will answer in kind. Discontented parents breed discontented children. Your attitude is the root of the family attitude tree. A bitter root cannot produce sweet fruit."...
http://www.nogreaterjoy.org/articles/general-view/archive/1996/january/01/bad-attitude/