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I'm a mom of four boys. Yeah, 4 boys. They currently range in age from nine years down to two months. I confess that I'm stressed-out and exhausted. The chaos. The messes. The noise. It's easy for that stress and frustration to turn into anger. And I resort to yelling way more often than I'd like to admit, because it seems to be the only way to get the boys' attention and get obedience from them. I'm a stressed-out, angry mom.
When I step back and think about it, yelling is a childish response. I'm acting childish and immature in order to get their attention. What kind of sense does that make?
Of course, my kids push my buttons, but that's not a problem with my kids. It's a problem with me. I think that I'll be more patient or more calm when they start obeying. I think I'll stop yelling when they start listening. The reality is that I will have to yell louder to keep their attention because I've conditioned them to not respond until I'm red-faced and hollering. And my patience is not tied to my kids' obedience. Patience is a fruit of the Spirit, not a product of my controlled striving for perfection in my home.
So how do you break the cycle? How do you stop the stress, the anger, and the yelling?
Pitchin' A Fit!
Israel and Brook Wayne are familiar with the stressed-out and angry phenomenon and they want to help. They live in SW Michigan (which happens to be where I grew up!) and they have 9 children, who they homeschool. They've dug into the Bible to find the root cause and results of stress and anger in parenting. They've compiled their finding in a new book titled, Pitchin' a Fit! Cross Focused Reviews sent me a copy of the book so I could share my thoughts with you. Sounds like the perfect title for the book because that's exactly what I'm doing when I let my stress and anger control my life and my family: I'm pitchin' a fit.
Even if you have a laid-back type personality, stress has a way of taking over and manifesting in irritability, frustration, and anger. Those feelings come out in an attempt to control our kids and eventually it weakens and destroys relationships with our kids.
Israel and Brook share from their experiences and biblical truths to:
- Provide practical and biblical solutions to get to the other side of the issue
- Give hope and freedom from the tyranny of stressed-out and angry parenting
- Offer solutions that are ideal for any family.
There is hope for the stressed-out, angry mom. I know you don't want stress and anger to drive you, your home, or your parenting. After reading through Pitchin' a Fit, I truly believe that this book and it's contents can be a game-changer in families. In my family. In your family. True peace and patience is possible.
Pitchin' A Fit! Discussion Group
I'm joining with my friends in the Family Discipleship Facebook Group to walk through Pitchin' A Fit! together over the course of 12 weeks. Starting April 1, 2016 we're reading one chapter a week and talking about it in the facebook group. I'd love for you to join us!
Being a part of the discussion is simple. Here's what you need to do:
- Buy a copy of Pitchin' A Fit!. Amazon stock levels have fluctuated a lot since the release, so if that's your preferred book store, go order a copy right away. There is a Kindle version if you prefer an ebook. You can also buy your copy directly from the Wayne's Family Renewal ministry site.
- Read one chapter a week in the book. The chapters are fairly short and the writing style is easy to read.
- Join the Family Discipleship Facebook Group. In addition to the book discussion, you'll find daily encouragement and resources on all aspects of family discipleship.
- Come back to The Pelsers each Friday, beginning April 1. I'll be sharing some of my favorite quotes and insights from the chapter for the coming week. You can subscribe to receive emails when new posts go live here.
We aren't meant to be living stressed-out, angry lives. That's not God's plan for your life. We can break free from these patterns and heal our families – even if this yelling is the pattern set for you by your parents. There is hope!
Want to hear Israel and Brook talk about the new book? You can listen to Shaun interview them on the Shaun Tabatt Show here.
Disclosure: Cross Focused Reviews provided an ebook copy of Pitchin' a Fit! to facilitate my review.
