Bigger Picture Moments: Hopefully

He did it again this morning.

He wouldn’t listen.

He wouldn’t get dressed after asking FIVE times.

He whined, and he cried that he had nothing to wear.

Then it was time…

Time to “lay the smack down.” {not literally}

Time to set some limits and create some consequences.

“If you can’t do it yourself then I’ll pick,” said B2.

Tears. Lots. of. Tears.

Mumbling through tears about looking silly in that shirt and he wants his red one.

“Too late,” we say.

I rush to work leaving B2 with a car full of unhappy boys. Himself included.

And it breaks my heart.

I know there need to be consequences. I know we need to set limits, but all I want is to make him happy.

B2 says he will learn and then it will be on to something else.

But are we ruining him? That’s my question.

Does he feel loved enough even when he’s being punished?

I don’t know, but I remind him {or try to}.

I know it’s for the greater good that I’m raising a boy who will eventually {probably at the age of 26} be self-sufficient.

And he will say “Remember all those days I couldn’t figure out what to wear and you picked for me…that was turning point…that’s when I knew I needed to make my own choices or someone would make them for me.”

Hopefully, he will look at it like that. Hopefully…