“This isn’t working” seasons are usually punctuated with Mom being frazzled at the end of each day. Threats to send the kids off to boarding school are whispered in secret, and if it’s particularly bad, The Mom reminds her husband how much a full-time multi-purpose person would set him back. Since this never happens to me, I’ll hypothetically tell you what I’d do if it did.

The first thing I’d do is find out where it broke down. If this ever happened to me, it’d probably occur during one of Greg’s business trips or during a week of sickness. Or if you want to get dramatic, have the baby learn to walk during the week that everyone is sick and your husband goes out of town. Yes, this is the best-case scenario.

The second thing you should do (after eating a bunch of chocolate) is put the dog in his crate. Eliminate unnecessary distractions so that you can zero in on the matter at hand.

The third thing you should do is talk rationally about the situation. This is especially easy if your husband is an engineer, programmer, or math whiz. In the end, I realized that the schedule wasn’t tight enough, and miscellaneous kids were often off-task causing trouble, messes, and mayhem. Furthermore, the Whac-a-Moles won’t pop as often if better, more meaningful consequences are in place.

So it’s time to get back on track. Children were created to be a blessing, and God gives us the tools we need to do the task He’s called us to do. I’m often tempted to fix a little wood-rot by patching it with a truck full of 2 x 4’s. Stepping back and realizing that it’s not personal will help me think more clearly about these things. But since this has never happened to me, I’m writing it down just in case it does in the future.

You are forgiving and good, O Lord,
abounding in love to all who call to you.
Hear my prayer, O LORD;
listen to my cry for mercy.
~Psalm 86:5-6