Non-Parenting Day

Yes, that is right. On Wednesday, the day the kids had ice cream for lunch, was officially declared a non-parenting day. Honestly, I was just tired of being a wife, parent, mother, teacher, social director, counselor, homemaker, chef, referee, etc., etc., etc.

So, after I wiped the tears away from my eyes and put on my big girl pants, I officially declared it a non-parenting day. And this is what it looked like:

When I came out of my hiding place, after talking with daddy, who was talking me off the ledge, my children had made me an ice cream sundae with cookies, hot fudge, and malted milk balls (it was delicious!). And that is when I officially declared it Non-Parenting Day.

And to officially kick it off I took them to TCBY for lunch. As I mentioned earlier, ice cream with cookie dough topping and as much hot fudge as they liked (they didn't feel well later on that night.)

A little later, Nature Girl asked if she could play her DS. I told her that even though I wasn't parenting, the rules were still the rules and there was no DS playing or TV watching during the week. It was up to her as to whether or not she wanted to obey. I heard her in her room going back and forth about what to do. At one point I heard say "Well, if I just play it for a couple of minutes. . . " I did mention that any type of disobedience, no matter how small, is still disobedience. I asked her later on if she ever did play her DS and she said no. That was huge!!

The kids were crawling up on chairs and stools to get games to play and toys. Never once did I tell them they had to put things away. The got their own snacks and drinks (which they did very well except I am pretty sure they ate too much junk.)

They wanted to do crafts, which I am not a fan of. I told Nature Gril to read the directions and if it said parental supervision then they couldn't do it because I wasn't parenting.

At one point they asked if their friends could come over. I told them, if they tell their friends to tell their parents that there isn't a parent at our house to supervise and if they were still able to come over, then that was fine. But, I made it perfectly clear that the neighbor kids' parents had to know there would be no supervision ;) Of course my kids didn't ask there friends to come over.

At about 4:30, I let them know we were going to church and they needed to be ready in an hour. Well, at 5:30 we walked out the door, the house was a wreck, they were dirty (well Boop mostly) and probably not dressed the nicest. Not sure hair was combed. But, we have a chore chart we do every day and they know it needs to be done before we go anywhere. And I guess they chose not to do it. (Daddy and I had talked about all of this before hand.)

So, on the way to church I let them know they would not be able to go with daddy in the AM to take Angel to the vet. They all love to go and see the other animals etc. Of course, they were a little perplexed and a little upset. I explained that they have had their chore charts for almost a year (at least I think that long) and if they were not able to finish it on their own then they could not take advantage of any extra outings. Of course there was grumbling and murmurings that I did not fully comprehend, but really no arguing. I think they realized they didn't have a valid excuse.

So, the next morning about 7AM (they usually aren't up until at least 7:30-8) hubby and I hear little gremlins creeping around in the living room. All three big kids were up cleaning the living room and straightening the things that they did not do the night before. All in an effort to go with daddy. Hubby and I were still in bed and just chuckling away and just a little bit proud, I guess.

It really was a great lead in to our family chat about first time obedience. We spent about 20 minutes talking about what we expected from them. And what they can expect from us. I gave the scripture verses so they understood that obedience doesn't come from us, it is really what God expects. Disobedience comes with discipline, but obedience comes with blessings.

So, after our little pow wow, the kids helped daddy load up Angel and take her to the vet. Granted it has only been a day, but I do see a little bit of change, in all of us. My goal is to have a home focused on God, that encourages healthy, loving relationships and part of that is just learning how to listen and to obey. And I am not just talking about the kids . . .