Whoever troubles his own household will inherit the wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.     Proverbs 11:29

I had this Monday off from work for Presidents’ Day. Naturally, I assumed my kids had the holiday off too. I couldn’t wait to have all that time together, and had excitedly planned how we’d spend it. It felt like Christmas!

That morning, when my husband came back from his run, he told me about all the kids he’d passed at the different bus stops on his route. I quickly jumped on the school website to discover it wasn’t a school holiday after all.

Feeling our time together slip away, I declared it a “Hooky Day!” Zack and Jocelyn cheered and hollered. Mason had a completely different reaction.

He immediately became nervous. He logged onto his Chrome book, assessed the academic day, and began a downward spiral into panic.

Initially, I was annoyed. I gave him the “Life is short” speech, trying to talk him off the ledge and into the joy of a hooky day. I reminded him that we typically have one each year, but now that I’m working, this would probably be our only chance.

The more I talked, the higher his anxiety spiked. The higher his anxiety spiked, the strong my annoyance grew. When I found myself ready to yell at him for being so uptight, I knew I had to step back, and step away.

When I did, I saw the reality for what is was. Not only was Mason born with a strong conscience, but I’d nurtured it, knowing that’s how we become better people.

Here I was getting angry at him because he was choosing the right thing: to go to school and do the best he could. How dare I hold that against him just because I wanted to spend the day in pajamas and bond.

To be the right mom for him means honoring where’s he’s at and supporting him. That meant letting go of MY plan for the day and incorporating his.

As my breakfast grew cold on the counter, I drove Mason to school, still in my pj’s. And when he came home from school that day, happy and at peace with his choice, we played games and connected then.

Question for Reflection:

     * How do I react when the plan I’m looking forward to doesn’t sit well with my kids?