Wait, you have an opinion now?

Feeling the toddler oats, what a time in a mommy's life. It is as though my sweet, little, innocent, son has recently become very aware of likes and dislikes. He has also become a pro at demonstrating his desires, usually in very appropriate ways like throwing himself down on the floor and screaming, or running away from whatever it is you are telling him to do.

While I find it difficult to see this transformation happen, simply because it means my little boy is growing up, and I desire to keep him small forever, I know it is a necessary step in his journey toward manhood.

The training we were doing before seems so easy now. It was easy to train him to not touch, or throw food, or go upstairs, when all he wanted to do was please me. Now that he has his own "oats" so to speak, the battle of wills begins. When we were at the park a week ago, I had a women ask me "who is in charge, him or you" (this is of course while Noah was throwing a tantrum about leaving the park, I will give him credit, while he was screaming in protest, he was walking unaided toward the stroller, that is at least a step in the right direction. No pun intended) I very quickly responded..."I am."

The amazing concept that I would be in charge of my child, and not the other way around. I never understood why mother's let their children control them, until now. I see the battleground and I know we are in for a fight, a fight to stay faithful to training our child in the midist of increasing difficulty. The fight for us to train and discipline in love and obedience to the Lord, and the realization of why we should even go through with the fight...because we want our Son to know the Lord.

One of my friends recently shared that she started telling her children that "if you obey, how sweet it will be for you to be my child." How true these words are even for us, in our obedience to the Lord. When we are obedient, trust and follow the Lord how sweet is truely is to be his child. The blessings that come are immense and great, and the beauty: worth it. This is no different from my child. He needs to learn the beauty in discipline and following his earthly father, which will hopefully help him see the beauty in his heavenly father.

The journey is not one without tears, and a battle, but I know it is for a great cause.