Rough Week for the Gautreaux's

This last week has been a doozy in the Gautreaux house.  It definitely goes down in our family history books as one of the HARDEST mother/daughter parenting weeks we've ever endured.  Unfortunately, the boys have also had their fair share of upsets this week as well.

I've learned that my kids are in fact not exempt from pain and heartache.  I've learned that I cannot always help them out of difficult situations they put themselves in.  I've learned that we can train them and prepare them but ultimately they make their own decisions.  I've seen my own children persecuted for their beliefs and their raising.  I've seen just how different my kids are from the "norm" today.  I've learned that while I desire to help my children through the bumps and dramas of friendships, not all parents care enough to do the same.

It's been a very.hard.week.  I've cried and prayed, prayed and cried, and cried and prayed some more.  To say that I cried for a period longer than 24 hours cannot be anymore true.  To say that I have been in constant prayer for the past 8 days is an understatement.  To say this family has held their tongues and let their tongues slip and that we've come together in comic relief cannot be anymore fitting.

My oldest has asked me to homeschool him.  While I find it very mature to ask to be taken away from the drama and out of school issues, I wonder if he's running away from problems versus learning to deal with them.  I wonder if he'll miss playing high school baseball and if we do pull him out of school if we are teaching him that when things don't go as planned, just walk away and try something else.  But then I put those thoughts aside and am so proud that he doesn't want to deal with the drama of psycho friends and overbearing girls and just wants to focus on what's important.  He's learned that even your closest friends will turn on you in an instant.

My daughter has learned that even when she hears things at school that may seem funny and/or odd at the time, they may be important enough that parents have to contact the school principal or other appropriate authorities.  She has learned that she may feel a close connection and share her life stories and struggles with a close group of friends and still not be invited to the birthday party.  (This friend has spent every Wednesday night with us having dinner and snacks and I have taken them to/from youth since August.  In addition, they all spent Friday night together at a preteen event only to find out the next day she was excluded from the birthday party and this group of friends.)  She's learning that having friends is hard and that sometimes friends gossip and turn on you.  She's learned that she cannot repay evil for evil and that her Momma will make her confront the situation appropriately and apologize face to face.  She's learning the true meaning of forgiveness and grace and that her Momma loves her sooo much that she wants to teach her how to be a good friend, even when it's hard.

Colton has learned that cutting his hair once gets this Mom mad.  He's learned that cutting his hair twice will result in a shaved head.  He's learned learning that school behavior is important and that he will continue to get in trouble EVERY.SINGLE.TIME he gets in trouble at school.  I wish I could say he's learned this but clearly this is a slow process at 7 years old.  He's about to learn that his things will get thrown away if he doesn't start picking them up!

Jason and I have learned that we are not professionals at this parenting gig and that raising a tantrum throwing toddler was much easier than raising teenagers.  We've learned how to truly listen to one another with our vastly different opinions and while we may have yet to come to some sort of conclusion, we both are relying on God to share with us the next steps.  We're learning that our children sometimes have to make their own choices, to praise them when they've made good choices, and how to parent through their bad and untimely choices.  We've learned that boy drama is MUCH easier than girl drama.  And we've learned to stay in constant prayer to raise these children correctly in a God-honoring way.  We've seen just how different our children are and that they're more grounded than most in the secular world.  I'm sad for them and this reality... and yet so very proud of them!

Things our family is currently working on....
forgiving others
allowing mistakes and extending grace to friends
being giving of our time and energy
letting God shine through us in ALL situations
relying on God's words and truths
listening to God for Him to guide us
leaning on and being there for each other

Prayer requests for our family.....
that we hear and know the direction to take in regards to Cameron's schooling
that Courtnie is forgiven for her words
that Colton gets his head on straight
that Jason and I continue to communicate constructively