A Huge Reality Check

Today while scanning facebook for the 1 billionth time I came across a link that a friend posted.

As I sat and read this story I began to cry like a baby. I am that yelling screaming mommy. I was yesterday and I have been already several times today.

And why am I that way? Well, probably because I am too lazy to get myself up off my behind and go see what the problem is when the kids are fighting.

Or I am too wrapped up in the T.V. show I am watching or scrolling through facebook to really take the time to focus on my children.

I get irritated with them when they “bug” me while I’m trying to follow the drama someone else has engaged in or if I miss the next line of dialogue in the show and then have no idea what is happening. When probably the most important line of dialogue that is being shared at that very moment is whatever it is that my kids are trying to tell me.

Proverbs 22:6 says: “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it”

So I have to ask myself: “Am I raising up my children in the way they should go?” Am I teaching them to value the relationships they have or am I teaching them to love technology?

I have to admit I have probably made social media my idol. I spend more time during my day checking what is going on with social media than I do checking on what is going on with my kids. I have often heard my husband sigh then check out for the evening when he realized I have checked my phone for the 7th time since he got home 15 minutes ago.

I don’t want to be that mom anymore. I don’t want my family to look back on life and remember mommy being to busy on her phone or computer to spend anytime with them. I want to be engaged in their lives.

I also want to break away from the idol that is social media and technology in my life. I know that I could be spending that time reading my Bible, or praying, or teaching my children how to better know and love God.

I know that I can’t completely break away from the social media all together. I actually do a lot of productive things with it. And I am also able to keep in contact with my family who is not anywhere near me. I am able to share with them the kids and our achievements through things like facebook, but that doesn’t mean I have to be watching it every five minutes to see if something new happened.

So I am giving myself a limit. I will be allowing myself 5 minutes in the morning to check in and see what is going on. Then I will give myself 30 minutes on the computer while I am working on other things during the kids nap time. I will also give myself some time in the evenings after the kids have gone to bed. I will not be checking my phone throughout the day.

I am hoping that with this I will be able to break away from some of the bad habits that I have created and become the peaceful loving mommy and wife that I really want to be. I don’t want to be the yelling mommy or the wife that isn’t present in my relationship anymore. I want to be 100% there all 100% of the time

What do you do to balance your time?

Have you ever been that screaming person that no one wanted to be around? If so, what did you do to change it? //assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js