A Glimmer of Hope

As a mom I find myself repeating the same phrases over and over again. "We don't hit in this family, please say sorry to your brother/sister", "please stop using your whiny words", "please use your words"and it often feels like I'm not being heard because the same behaviors are showing up again and again. It makes me wonder, am I doing the right things? Am I choosing the right disciplines? Are my children behaving when I'm not around? Then today, as I was driving to my parents house with Kyra, I saw a glimmer of hope that yes, my daughter is hearing me and yes, she is making good choices when I'm not around.
(A little background, I chew gum multiple times a day so naturally my kids ask when they can have some. The rule I've made is that when they turn 5, they can have a piece of gum.)
Today Kyra was at a friends house while Jayce and I enjoyed some mommy/son time at home and she told me that while she was there, her friends were asking for gum. Their mom offered Kyra a piece of gum and she told the mom that she wasn't allowed to have any. This in itself made me so proud of her that she remembered my rules and didn't take advantage of the fact that I wasn't around to sneak a piece. Then Kyra went on to say "I thought about saying yes mommy, but then decided to tell (friend's mom) that I wasn't allowed".
I have to tell you, I had tears of happiness pool in my eyes when Kyra told me that. Not only did she make the right decision, she admitted to me what she was thinking. Moments like these make my heart so very happy. Moments like these help me realize that the things I'm trying to teach are sinking in and to keep at it. Moments like these make me extra proud to be a mommy.