You may think that life in our family is great … no problems there, right? Wrong! You probably remember my grumpy dreams about a lot of stresses in our life. There’s a big reason why I have been unable to post recently, too. I am simply overwhelmed.
How do you get back on track when feel that your life has been derailed? That’s a lesson for another day … as I am in the process of getting there myself. But what is important to learn as a parent, spouse, and leader is that you should not break your loved ones as you work to get back on track. Let me explain:
We have a certain daughter who loves animals. Years ago, this animal lover pleaded with us to get a cat. I said no. Wife said yes. We have a cat.
Fast forward a couple more years and this certain animal lover had been neglecting her litter-box-changing-duties. And if the box is too full, the cat likes to use my closet as its own personal outhouse. Well, I remember the night I came home to find another fresh, smelly “leftover” in my closet.
I lost it! Not the cat, but my patience!
I yelled. I yelled loudly.
Moments later, I was crushed because I knew that I had crushed someone else’s spirit. Yeah, you know, that animal lover who begged me for the cat was broken … by me. I cannot described how terrible I felt. It was like the “bad man” in You just broke your child. Congratulations … If you have not read Dan’s post, it is well worth the read.
While I could go on, and on, and on, about what to do when your kid’s cat poops in your closet, the real lesson is … don’t break your child while working through the conflict.