It's been one of those weeks. (and it's only Monday!)

Mark was at a conference last week and what I already knew about myself and my family was confirmed: Daddy is the glue that holds things together around here and I pray he is never needed to travel on a regular basis! Mind you, I did fairly well holding the fort and keeping our regular routine as best as possible, but it was lonely. For my kids however, (especially Caden) it was like time stood still.

On Wednesday, Caden started waking in the night crying for daddy, saying that he's afraid of the dark. This had never happened before. This continued and by the time Friday rolled around, Caden cried on and off until Mark got home at 11:30pm. Now Daddy's home. Problem solved, right? Apparently not.

His behavior has escalated and no one (except McKenna who sleeps like a rock) has gotten a full nights rest. Part of me wonders if he's just being ornery. Mark believes he's truly afraid. But the child doesn't respond to anything except coming into our room which we refuse to make a habit of doing.

Caden has always been a behavioral challenge for me, just because when he makes his mind up on something he wants, it is virtually impossible to deter him no matter what the consequence. I still am unsuccessful in breaking him of his thumb sucking habit which I have been working on since he was two!

What's my point to all this? Well, partially to vent and partially to share where this has driven me. I have to remember that this child God has given me to love and train is meant for my refinement,too. So it drives me to ask this question. What is God trying to teaching me through my child? What areas of my life need to be pruned so that I can grow?

These questions are not easily answered especially when you're functioning on perpetually broken sleep. But I plan to spend time pondering them and maybe when I get a word I can pass it along.