Progress

"He that refuses instruction despises his own soul..." Proverbs 15:32

I think we have gained some ground with "G". Progress anyway, and any little bit is always welcomed. Adoption has been one of the hardest things ever...of course we didn't adopt a cuddly little baby, but a prickly older child with more issues than one of the bums sleeping in the park around here all summer. yikes!

Yesterday was another typical Liberian girl power struggle, only now I don't bother anymore. I have made up my mind to not get hassled like that anymore. Life is too precious to waste it struggling with someone who just wants to struggle for the sake of struggling and creating strife.

Reading is always her issue now. She doesn't even begin to make effort and doesn't because she thinks it's her way of "beating" me. She has always wanted to defeat me, which is rather amusing now. It wasn't at first! So yesterday, I didn't get ruffled, I didn't get angry at all. I smiled and didn't let her antics bother me one bit. Told her she was only hurting herself by continuing in willful ignorance and she could look forward to a life as someone else's maid if her pride stayed as huge as it is. Then I went about my day. She finally gave in late evening and I accepted her answer with no emotion- because that's what she's after.

This morning she came to me and apologized, wich was acknowledging the fact that she was back to lying and manipulating, her two favorites, and she was admitting it and repenting in her own way. Then, remarkably, she asked me to start lessons with her again.

Of course *U*

Like I said, progress. Only another adoptive parent of an older Liberian kid would understand...it was a sweet success.

God is good.