Wrath Vs Peace

A gentle answer turns away wrath,but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1

How many times have our children found that stress button and continued to push it through out the day. We give them notice, " Moms had it up to HERE!" " Mom's Lossing it" " Time out for mommie" all those warnings and they continue to push.
I thought today as it seemed it was to be one of those push mommies buttons days, how am I to react, and how does my reactions really show them Christ.
So today as I sat in the Dr's office at Tripler. I began to really seek how to show Micah that love without really lashing out in wrath. As Micah sat there, really showing his 12 year old preteen puberty stage attitude. I calmly ( ok it was a little sharply) looked at him and said "How would christ respond Micah to your disobedience and disrespect?" A quick response of "he wouldn't make me be here," didn't give me the response I was really looking for. So I tried the other direction of ... Mom's wrath, telling him that the longer he gives issues, the longer it takes so sit down, be quite and obey me and the dr..
As I drove home frustrated and to be honest very upset. It was very quiet in the car, when micah got in the car the only thing out of my mouth was NOT A WORD.. So I perceeded to pray for a calm spirit and understanding heart. And then something happened that I wasn't expecting. Proverbs 15:1 came to mind, So I stewed over my reasonings of my justifying anger, I mean come on he disobeyed I have a right... OHHHH But do I? Do any of us have a RIGHT for anything? We have the privilage of where we live, what we have, where we go, how we get there and ACTIONS WE CHOOSE.
So I began to allow God to really change my heart on the way home, Micah thinking I lost my mind as I blasted my christian music, tears flowing and not saying a word. UNTIL We pulled up into the drive way. I turned the car off, turned toward Micah and said words that seem so hard some times... I"M SORRY. I began to tell micah he's actions were wrong, actions he and God need to deal with. AND actions that will cause consequences, but mom lashing out with wrath and harsh words was not what Christ would do, and I was sorry for not showing him christ in the situation.
Micah was wrong, Micah knows he was wrong, My front yard looks wonderful mowed from him being wrong =). But just because Micah chooses the path of disobedience doesn't give me a RIGHT to choose the path of wrath and anger. I had a chose just like Micah the road of correcting with Love, or correcting with anger. I chose the easier of the two which was anger.
To show our kids Christ, we must try to show them the love, patience and forgivness. We will fail, and when we do we must also be willing to allow our children to hear sorry from us. We must be willing to admit to them, we were wrong. Our kids are watching us to see the love of christ, what we show them about love is what they will understand about the love of christ.
SO as I work toward slow to wrath and anger, I pray my children can see how gentle words turns a heart toward you and harsh words turns others away.