No 'easy' button

Parenting is something you chip away at, gradually, bit by bit.  You say the same thing a thousand times, not knowing if you are making any impact. 

Obey and be kind.  Obey and be kind.  These are the rules, especially for the little ones, obey and be kind.  Hold up two fat sticky fingers and say it, obey and be kind.

Say the verse, Ephesians 4:32, and be ye kind, one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you.

"KINDNESS!"

Breaking up skirmishes, emotional, hormonal, physical.  (Yesterday I commented under my breath that we have enough hormones here to power a space rocket.  Oldest son, near enough to hear, responded, "I don't think it works that way, Mom."). Over a toy, over a comment or a facial expression or a tone of voice.

Unforgiveness lays a foundation for an explosion, should anyone grieviously make a repeat error, let alone an oft repeated error.

And yet.

I'm chipping away.  Obey and be kind.  Kindness!  Ephesians 4:32.

Yesterday I took all 13 children to the oldest 3's Christmas party for their 'school' (not really a school, supplimental thing). There was food to be eaten, socializing to do, and there were games to be played, games for high school homeschoolers.  Big kids.  And my smaller people were feeling left out.  (not the babies, they were doing acrobatics in the middle of the floor)

And without a negative breath or look, the older sibs pulled the smalls in.  They were kind.  So kind. 

My battles have not been for naught.  My daily instruction bore some fruit.  After all the at home training, we passed the test.

Kindness.  There's no easy button.  But sometimes ...