A person standing or walking in a strong wind is pushed in directions he doesn’t necessarily want to go. If it’s a headwind, it’s pushing him in the opposite direction of his goal, and he would do well to put his head down and fight against it. Doing nothing in response to the headwind might not only result in a lack of progress but he may actually be pushed backwards.

If you come home after a bad day at work or church (perhaps you’ve experienced a failure of some kind), or if you have a head-ache or some other chronic pain, or if you have goals that require focus or thought, or if you are simply in a negative state of mind – if any of these things are true as you are entering into interaction with your children, then you should consider yourself as having a headwind pushing you against positive and wise responses to your children and towards anger and impatience with them.

As your ire builds, you may be tempted to blame them (“they’re acting crazy!”), but no, they are not behaving differently. It’s your setting, your situation, your frame of mine – pushing you away from love, towards undeserved wrath against them. Against your children.

The sooner you can recognize this, the better. Then you can fight against it, put your head down and think, “This force isn’t going to push me into a greater distancing from my children.” And then move towards your children in love.

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