Dog Days, Gardening, Thunderstorms and Godly Magic

It is that point in the summer. The point that you are tempted to give up.  The enthusiasm for gardening that was there in March, April and May has been crowded out with the weeds and the heat.  The produce is coming in but maybe not as fast or as much as you want. The lawn has turned brown, except for the crabgrass.  Tempers can flare.  Baseball teams get sloppy with fundamentals and really, you just want to get inside out of the heat. The same is true of parenting. August and school are looming around the corner.   The grand plans you had, for your kids, for the summer may have fizzled a bit. You may have gotten a bit sloppy and let the video games run rampant.  When you find a time that you want to lay around like a bunch of lazy dogs, that's when you know.  The dog days of summer are here!

Woof!

Don't forget to have some fun! As a parent, you may find yourself snapping  at a child's behavior.  The whining and attention seeking are starting to get to you. Don't forget to have some fun.  It's time to change up the routine. Have a sweet corn feast with the neighborhood.  Surprise your kids with a water gun fight.  Go fishing. Take a day and go to the water park or the lake.  Just don't forget to have some spontaneous fun.

Then, reset the expectations with yourself and the kids and get back on track.  Don't try to weed the entire garden., but get back into the habit of weeding a section every morning.  Get the kids back on their piano, band, music, math or reading lessons.  Have them do it early in the day, don't put it off.  You will be surprised to find that  a break in the routine  is magic.  It is the magic of eliminating the guilt and helplessness that builds, like the heat, over the summer.  That rising wave of guilt and helplessness that comes from expectations of what you should or shouldn't have done.  It is the magic of fresh starts. It is like a rain storm in the middle of a heat wave. Don't give in to that helplessness, instead, go for the magic of a fresh start. The magic allows you to reset expectations for the rest of the summer.  It is the magic of forgiveness and renewal.  It reminds your kids that you love them.  It gives them the message "You can do it."