I did realize that kids pick up on your stress- so when you go grocery shopping when it is busy in the store, or right before dinner- and you feel stressed yourself, it rubs off on the kids and they start to get anxious too. I did always plan the grocery list ahead of time with the layout of the store, so I could get everything in one swoop. They used to have these machines in the front of the store, where you could pick out recipes and it would print out the ingredients according to the store sections, whatever happened to those?

One time, at Toys R Us, in the check out line, there was a boy seated in a cart just in front of me. Not a small boy either, he was about 3 going on 17. I swear he needed a shave. Anyway, he spit at me. SPIT. At me. Well, I yelled at, I mean used a firm tone with him, “Hey BUDDY! Knock it off! DON”T spit at me!” And his mom turned and made some feeble excuse yet continued to buy hima toy, which I wanted to rip out of her hands and whap her upside the head with. I didn’t have a kid at the time, but I swore I would never let my kid get away with that. I would come down on him so hard and so fast his head would spin. And unlike the McDonalds thing, this is one of those “I’ll never” things that I really mean. Kids are going to do stuff like that, but you gotta shut it down in a hurry. Now. I think I’ll go write about this on my OWN blog!

Luckily my friend and I are of like minds when it comes to see it, call it, manage it on the kids front. Friends like that are rare and precious, and all of our kids will be better for it in the long run!

Sorry that this mother didn’t see fit to carry through, or appologize. There is no excuse for either behavior, but manners do go a long way to mend the offense!

Now, I’m going to pretend I really am that mother in the grocery store. As a mother of a child who has acted just like that little boy, I’m qualified:

I’ve tried first-time obedience, the Pearls, spanking, threats, promises of no treats like a party, candy, you name it. I’m a Christian. We go to church every Sunday, Wednesday and home educate. When my child acts out in public with fighting, kicking, tantrums, it’s hard for me. I’m tired of being the mom who yells all the time. All I want to do is get out of the store without forgetting anything on my list. I’m sorry I didn’t apologize for my boy, I should have, but I was embarrassed. I never thought motherhood would be this hard, this difficult. Please pray for me.

Sometimes no matter what we do, what we teach or train, the kids are still going to do rotten things. Like punch strangers. It’s called sin.

And this is to the real mother of the little boxer; she’s found her way here after doing a Google for “help raising boys” :

I know how you feel, you are not alone. I bet the whole scene embarrassed the heck out of you. I suspect he has an older brother who loves to teach him naughtiness. I have one of those kids too. No child is perfect. No mother is perfect. Keep trying. We moms need to help each other. We need to pray for each other. I hope you pray for yourself. I know it helps me; I know God hears and He understands.

But i do have to admit that as a married mostly solo parent*truckdriving widow* there are more times than I would like to admit that I do let things go out of sheer exhaustion and frustration

i LOVE the verse you used. That was an important verse at our Women’s Retreat this Spring!!!