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Consequences can be a nasty beast.

*Have you ever gotten the urge to use British slang and then discover what those words really mean? Case in point: bloody, bugger, sod off. Please don’t look them up. It will ruin everything.

We’re dealing with them over here…consequences, that is…not British slang. I’m probably the only one who hears British cuss words in my head, due to reading too much English literature…and you know, every other book I can get my hands on.

I’ve never had a bloke tell me off before.

However, I probably wouldn’t mind…because everything sounds lovely in a British accent.

But ANYWAY…back to consequences…

I hate them. It’s one thing to have to deal with my own bad decisions. I try to own up to whatever I deserve and take it. But when it’s your children who are having to deal with their consequences, it can be harder to stand by and watch.

All human sin seems so much worse in its consequences than in its intentions.~ Reinhold Niebuhr

Coping with the demands of everyday life would be exceedingly trying if one could arrive at solutions to problems only by actually performing possible options and suffering the consequences.~ Albert Bandura

Everyone will experience the consequences of his own acts. If his acts are right, he’ll get good consequences; if they’re not, he’ll suffer for it.~ Harry Browne

It’s the whole, You Reap What You Sow kind of thing. Except I was always terrified by that Biblical concept…until I realized that it went both ways. It doesn’t have to be a fearful thing: I simply need to be sowing good things.

And if I don’t, well…my eyeballs won’t be plucked out. But…I WILL feel the weight of something gone wrong. I will backtrack instead of advance. It won’t be as great as it could have been. Not forever, but for a little while…

We’re trying to teach our children this. Daily. And sometimes it doesn’t feel very important when it’s over things like, “DO NOT leave your dirty clothes ON THE FLOOR!!!” or “Do NOT pick on your brother!” or “QUIT going into your sister’s room when she’s not there!” But really, it is.

We want to do the right things so that we reap a loving relationship between brother and sister instead of a combative one. A clean floor will go a long way in keeping the mama from losing her mind and peace really is desired among us all.

Don’t mind me, I’ll get off the rant soon.

But not yet.

There’s a reason for all the bossing around. Sometimes I feel like such a bossy human being with this motherhood business. I really get tired of telling (AND asking nicely) little and not so little people what to do. I’d like nothing better than the dirty clothes to take care of themselves, to eat all the sugar we want, to let the homework go to the dogs, to join the circus if we wanted and to live a jolly, carefree life.

But I’m raising humans that are going to grow up and have to answer for themselves and so help me, they are going to be capable! They will be true to their word~ say what they mean and mean what they say! And they will have clean ears and brushed teeth and the best grades they’re capable of while getting there!

Deep breath.

So we’ll take our consequences with the rest of our lumps and we will make something grow out of it.

Hopefully something beautiful or delicious. I’d take either.