Driven to Drink

This is scary.

My kids have only been out of school for two solid days and I feel like I am being driven to drink.

I love my kids and love being with them. But something about the wide array and varying type of disobedience coming from all three of them drives me over the edge. As usual, they have moved to the next developmental level and I’m back in the last one.

Now I am entreated to the loud back-talking voice of our eleven-year-old. Meanwhile the not-so-behind-the-scenes-sneaky-stirring-up-problem style of the eight-year-old instigates lots of screaming, squealing and tattling. What happened to my 1st Communicant angel only a few months ago? (More on that in the next blog.) If that doesn’t frazzle my last nerve, the cocky, I’ll-do-it-when-I-feel-like-it attitude of the five-year-old will.

A lot of this would not be happening if I were not trying to work on developing good habits of picking up and doing chores. There is a collective resistance hoping my organizational zeal will fade with time, like it usually does with a busier schedule. But I am up to the challenge, armed with strategies from my new ally, Kirsten Awe, the professional organizer.

However, we will need more than organizing to get us back on the right foot. When compliance is low, I know I need to connect better personally. Check out in the next blog what has been missing in the mix and how to get back on track.

Catholic Women’s Guide to Healthy Relationships Tip: Have an idea of how you desire your family interactions to be like. When they fall short, be aggressive about identifying the root of the problem and strategies to overcome them.