Someone new is residing in our home

Sure, she calls herself Emily, but she's unrecognizable to me at times. Where we once had a little girl that was happy go lucky, we now have one that can be very moody. Once, I had a child who could care less about clothes...now, on some days, she has very strong opinions. And, she's right...all the time...on all subject matters...no matter what.

However, I also now have someone who can be trusted to be with friends & still make good choices, do a load of laundry, be in the library by herself, make scrambled eggs & juice, stay at home for short periods of time & is quite proficient on the computer.

So, we take the good with the bad. We love when she is the least lovable. We work on our self-control...especially over what we say & how we say it. And we pray for grace & wisdom, knowing that we will make mistakes...but also praying that she'll forget them (or at least, not end up in therapy because of them). :)

Three quotes I read recently concerning Dave & my role in this process...
"...(kids) expose us for who we are & what we know. They also expose us for who we're not & what we don't know."
"Our children reveal the weakness of our character & the areas in which we need to mature."
"Realizing that we do indeed fall short helps us grow in grace toward the children we train."

One thing's for sure...this isn't getting any easier. But then again, no one said that it would. :) And one more thing. Mom, I know you consider this sweet revenge. However, please keep the gloating to a minimum as I don't remember your mother giving you a hard time when we were this age. :)