Class 5

So, this past Tuesday was class 5 and I would like to announce with a big fat loud cheer~~~~~

I didn't cry!

I know, I know....that seems silly and small but including the intro class, we have met 6 times now, and 5 out of the 6 I have totally teared up and cried every night except this Tuesday. SO...YAY me!  (maybe they will not think I am an overly emotional unstable wreck of a parental figure now?) ; )


However, the topic was the easiest of them all for me.  The one that I feel pretty confident in my abilities...the topic this time was discipline.
Having worked in a daycare, as a high school English teacher, and having/raising 2 kids of my own....I have pretty good skills at disciplining.  We had a guest speaker in class and as he did his presentation I sat shaking my head in agreement with everything he said.  


I didn't know why, developmentally or book wise, I believe what I do about discipline....but everything he said lined up with what I believe and what I have found to work.

I did learn a few new tools that sounded like they would be effective as well. ;)

I don't have a problem saying no when I know it's for my child's own good/safety, I have friends my own age so I don't need my kids to be my friends, and while yes I do like for my kids to "like" me, I don't have a problem when they don't...I am their parent not their girlfriend...and everything I do is 100% love and 100% discipline, the way I see it, no one else has a better interest at heart for them than me, I carried them and cared for them, just as much as I love them when they are sick or hurt, I love them with that same heart and that same kind of love when they need parental authority to step in.  One of my favorite quotes going through the teen/middle/high school years with Kaylin was, "I love you enough to let you dislike me."   

I realize from the classes the children that come into our home might have emotional problems that manifest as behavioral problems that can be anything from crying, tantrums, physical violence, to depression. (and more)....so the biggest thing in the class Tuesday was showing alternatives to physically disciplining children, since many children in foster care are coming from abusive situations and in trying to break that fear of physical abuse and build bonds of trust and love, you would not want to take a child from one kind of abuse and put them into another home where physical punishment may take place.  Which I totally 100% agree with and therefore NO reason for tears :)



Happy Thursday....it's almost FRIDAY!!! I am so excited tonight is my "Kaylin night".  She gets out of class at 7:15 on Thursday's and she and her boyfriend come and have dinner with us...I look SOOO forward to it every week!!!!!  Then tomorrow dinner with our regular weekly friends, Saturday photo shoots and...


Sunday night dinner with the family and baby that started this all at our house :)  YAY!  We always end up in the lobby at church and talk for like 15-20 mins and say we should have dinner so I just invited them...we just set a date this Sunday.  I am excited to hear their experiences and to HOLD ALI!!!


Hopefully, I will get a picture with her to show you what started it all. 
The second little baby that God broke my heart over. :)  I AM SO EXCITED about all of this!!!  I've always heard about when God puts a dream in your heart (and I watched Joey say that and his reaction over BLET and how excited and determined and changed he was through that) but there is something so awesome and amazing and exciting knowing you are following something that God's in. 

That God's doing. 
That you were totally blind to before...it's indescribable.