a village

Many of you have met my girl, Jayne. If not personally, then through my words, emotions, frustrations, and irritations. She's ten. That's 10 years of earning every wrinkle that is etched into this face. I HAVE EARNED THEM, PEOPLE!

What I don't mention very often is what an incredible little girl my strong-willed Jayne truly is. Her heart is so big. She cares so deeply about everything (even annoying things like why we can't invite someone over to play at 8 pm on a school night or why I won't let her eat an entire bag of popcorn for breakfast. You'd be astounded at the amount of emotion that can be elicited regarding the simplest things. Sheesh. Wrinkles.) God created her with tenacity (great word - gotta remember to use that more often) and determination, a strong conscience (she admits wrong doings within the day, even if I had no clue they had transpired!), and passion (which is my nice way of saying dramatic). 

I tell you all of that to share about something completely different. Sorta.

I can't raise this kid on my own. She's too much. My husband and I together sometimes just shake our heads wondering what to do some days. The word "ridiculous" gets used a whole lot in our house by the adults. We try, believe me. We have read books, sought counseling, searched the Internet, listened to podcasts, prayed, and tried what seems like a million techniques, some successful, some not so much (like the time we took everything out of her room except enough clothing for a week, her bed with one blanket and one pillow and told her she needed to earn it all back. She didn't. Wrinkles.)

We aren't doing it alone. And that is why we are surviving. Obviously, we have an amazing source of strength and power from our Father, but He has also put people in our lives, as well as hers, to shape her and grow her right alongside us. Her aunts and uncles, grandparents and cousins all pour into her and pray for her (and us!) They love on her and correct her behavior and attitude. I have friends who think of ways to motivate her and talk with her about the choices she makes now and where that will take her in her future. I have friends who take her into their home and treat her as if she is also their daughter. And the neighborhood moms (and dads!) who step in to help her when I can't be there - goodness, we are blessed!

Ever since Jayne was very little, we realized that it would take a village to raise her. Not in the sense that we leave it up to the village to raise her because that would just make us irresponsible (even though there are days, I'll admit, when that sounds very appealing) . More in the sense that we have given key people, whom we trust and who care about our daughter, permission to guide her and teach her when we aren't present or just can't. (Just ask my mom - she's been there and stepped in during the "just can't" days!)

I don't know what we would do without this God-given village.

We are truly blessed.

Sending out mad love to our village. ❤️

Thank you for helping to shape our JayneeGirl into all the phenomenal things of paragraph #2. 

(See how I brought that back around? Smooth...)

KC