Bickering and Kind Words...

An anxious heart weighs a man dowu, but a kind word cheers him up. Proverbs 12:25

With five kiddos in the house, there's going to be some unkind words. I know that in my head, but just can't accept that in my heart. The bickering that can occur among my children (particularly the older three) weighs me down! Yesterday was just one of those days...everytime I turned a corner in my house, someone was saying somthing unkind to someone else. I considered the source--one has been studying for a test he needs to ace, another has entered that preteen stage and never feels quite right in her own skin, and the other...she's just hanging on for dear life, trying to survive a teenage and a preteen. :) Really, though, considering the source didn't help much and I reached that "I've had enough of this" moment, that moment when mom is really going to lose her cool if something isn't done.

So....we went to the park. That wasn't my solution, only a way to get some fresh our, clear my head before my top blew. And when we returned, I had a plan. Proverbs 12:25 says that kind words cheer people up. I thought about calling them each down and serving them a few kinds words in hopes that they would offer each other the same. But then it came to me...it's not only the kind words you receive that are medicinal, healing. It can be the kind words you give. I asked each of them to meet me at the dining room table, where I gave them 2 red paper hearts. They were instructed to spend some time in their rooms writing something KIND about each of their siblings. I was sure to tell them that I would preview the notes to make sure they were from the heart.

The youngest of this bickering crew was back in about 20 minutes with 2 hearts filled with the sweetest words ever! I wasn't surprised. Her unkind words are usually only used to defend. It wasn't long after that my second-born came down with words that certainly came from her heart--honest and loving. Finally...my first-born delivered his hearts. They were simple (he used bullets), but well-thought out and sweet. I was so exctied. I gathered the hearts, thanked and hugged my babies and told them to look for a little surprise in the morning.

And so they sit, in each of their Valentine bags I put together with a few treats and kind words of my own. I pray these hearts will make things a little lighter between the three of them.

Thank you God for fresh air and Your Word!