I'm not sure what is going on with Isaac. He has been very negative lately. I keep hearing the words "I hate" and "That's not fair". When he doesn't get his way he gets extremely upset. He has been playing with some little boys in the neighborhood and he's been very excited about making new friends. I am not all that excited about it. They don't seem to be very nice little boys. Now I know that kids are kids and they all say and do things that aren't very nice from time to time (actually they do it quite often). But these kids seem to be mean more often than not. But Isaac insists that they are his best friends and he just has to play with them.

He says he wants to go to school like they do and he hates home school. Of course we know that most kids don't like going to school and would stay home if they could. They like the fact that they get to play with other kids their age (unless they are among those who get picked on) but they don't like the actual school part of it most of the time. But the boys don't understand that. Since they have never been there, they think public school is this cool place to go where you just hang out with other kids and goof around all day and they don't believe me when I tell them otherwise. Tommy usually doesn't say very much about it but Isaac is always complaining about being home schooled.

Isaac just seems to be struggling with his emotions lately. Anger and sadness seem to be the ones he is dealing with the most.

I'm sharing all of this with you for a couple of reasons. One reason is just so I can get it out. The other is so that you can pray for him. I don't even know what I want God to do for him. I just want him to make it better. I also need your prayers. I need the Lord to help me to know how to deal with the kids. I need Him to help me to discipline them in love and not anger (I've been having a bit of a problem with that lately). I need Him to give me wisdom so that I can raise my boys to follow Him and make right decisions that are pleasing to Him. I know He has an awesome purpose for each of them. I know that He has given them each gifts and talents that they can use to honor Him and further His kingdom. I need Him show me how to identify those gifts and help bring them out in the boys. I need to know how to help them feel good about themselves (especially Isaac) and to know that they are awesome kids and deserve to be treated with kindness and love. I need them to know that they don't have to settle for "friends" that don't treat them well. I need Him to show me how and where to find real friends for the boys. Friends who love the Lord and have parents who love Him as well. I desperately want my kids to be happy. I want them to be safe and I want them to know how much I love them and that love is what has driven me to make the decisions that I have made about how they should be raised. I want them to know that God also loves them...more than even I am capable of loving them. I want them to know that He has created them for a good work and has an awesome life planned for them. But I also need them to know that in order for them to live the life He has planned for them they have to follow the path He has laid out for them and that is the path that we are trying to start them out on by raising them in the way that we believe the Lord would have us to raise them. Please pray that He will give me the wisdom to make the right decisions and that the boys will know that these decisions are made out of love for them.

Okay. I feel better now that I have gotten it out and I know that you all are praying about it. It would also make me feel better is you would leave a comment to let me know that you are praying. Thank you all in advance.

Trusting in Him,

Shirley