The Crazy Cycle

In Dr. Emerson Egge:richs books on relationships, he refers to the Crazy Cycle.  This is basically where husband and wife go back and forth in mis-communication, vying for love and respect from each other, but greatly missing the mark.  In our family, we have a different Crazy Cycle.  It is the one where as a family you feel like that hamster on a wheel....just going.....and going.....and never slowing down.  That is how I would describe our summer.  (More details on that to come.)  The results of this - tired children, tired  mom and day, discipline issues that are difficult to address when you are on the go, messy house, no routine, poor eating habits.  You get the picture.  I kept saying, "one more week, then things will get back to normal".  Yeah, like that is ever going to happen.  Unless, we just put on the brakes.  But, when exactly do you do that?  It is easy to put on the brakes when there is nothing going on.  For one day.  Then things start popping up.  Well, for us today is that day for us.  Putting on the brakes.  Easy, you say.  Not so much.  For us this means that today I have to tell my children that they can't attend their respective sleepovers for the weekend.  (well, at least Katie doesn't even know about hers.  One less heart to break.)  This isn't going to be fun.  But, you may say, "Why are you going to break your little children's hearts?  Just one more weekend. Come on".  The parental powers were headed in that direction until we re-evaluated and realized that life was getting complicated.  And we are in control of most of that.  It is time to take back control and get off of the Crazy Cycle.  If you think about it today, you can pray for me.   I hate breaking my children's hearts.  But it is so much easier knowing that I know the reason and am sure of it, even though they won't understand.