I bet you don't know this about me...

I have been very, let's say anal about my house being clean and everything in it's place most of my adult life. This drives my family crazy! I feel like I am creating an environment for them to learn and play in an uncluttered home. I always thought that a cluttered house means a cluttered brain and it would just spiral down hill from there. I was even so bad I would not open my door if I had dishes in my sink! Well, our oldest, whom you all know is very mature and responsible came to me and said :"Mom, I appreciate how hard you work to keep the house in order and all, BUT no one is going to DIE if the house is a mess!" She also said, I might have more FUN if I loosened up a bit! Can you believe that? At first I was a little offended and i just stared at her for a moment gathering my defense. At that moment it occurred to me that she might be right. How many days did I forgo fun to clean? How many moments did I miss in the midst of a cleaning frenzy?
Well, I decided to do just what Cass suggested and loosen up a bit! You know what? No one did die, and we are having FUN! AND I have dishes in my sink!! Guess what else I did? I veered off from my schedule a bit. Yeah, I know crazy right? Well, I have noticed when Ty starts to defunction, he fidgets and pulls at his clothes. In the past this would be my cue to put more enthusiasm in our lesson and try to make it more fun. But, what I did this last time was throw it all to the wind. He was beyond listening at this point anyway, no matter how enthused I acted. So, what we did was put on some lively music and cranked up the volume and DANCED for like a half hour. And NO it was not free-time. Hows that for growth? Hmmm? And you know what? We went back to the lesson and picked right up from where we left off without a hitch! My neighbors probably think I am wiereder than they already do but who cares? Bre joined in and it was a BLAST!
So what did I learn? Sometimes we need to stop and see what our children can teach US! If I had been defensive when Cassie tried sharing her wisdom, I would have missed out on such a fun time with my son. Remember, God uses other people to get his messages across to us. He may even use your own child!
So what if my house gets a little messy-we live here!