He's All Up In My Business!

My children are at the ages now where their personalities are very distinct and they are starting to compare themselves to each other. The whole issue of "fairness" is on the table. For the most part, I have successfully managed to give them two of everything but seeing as I have a girl and a boy, that's not always possible.
And that's when the drama starts...
Matthew is starting to show defiant behavior I've never seen before while my daughter remains relatively calm. This has been a source of frustration for me.
So what to do?
I pray.
Sounds cheesy, I know. but it's true.
That is a single mom's secret weapon: A PRAYER LIFE.
Last year Caitlyn went through a lengthy phase of hair pulling. She wasn't completely bald but it was to the point that she was leaving little tufts of her hair on the floor at daycare and her hair was noticeably thin in places. I tried everything. I cried, and tried to redirect her, I explained to her why she shouldn't do it, I even tried spanking briefly. NOTHING worked. I would wake up in the morning to find hair all around her crib. So what did I do? I prayed to God. After a few months dealing with this on and off, I was at the point where her teachers at daycare were strongly recommending I see a doctor. By then, I was desperate. The last thing I wanted was for my two year old to be placed on any type of anti anxiety medication. So I prayed and I kept my eyes and ears open for an answer.
One day, I arrived to the daycare parking lot to pick up the kids and another mom was pulling in at the same time. She opened her door and got her infant daughter out of her car seat. I noticed that her baby girl was wearing the most adorable hat. Something within said, "Ask her where she got that hat". So, being obedient, I asked her. To my surprise, she not only told me where she got the hat (turns out it was handmade by a woman who made girl's bows and hats) she gave me the designer's business card and directions to her house! I went in, got the children and headed STRAIGHT to the woman's home. I purchased two hats and two matching flowers for only $20.
I KNEW this was the answer I prayed for!

I didn't even know how I knew, but I did. I wasn't even sure if Caitlyn, who'd never worn a hat before, would wear it. Once she saw it, her face lit up and she wouldn't take it off! She wore it long enough to break the hair pulling habit and now, you can't even tell she had a problem with hair pulling!
My point is that there's nothing that you could ever face that is insignificant to God. He's waiting, ready and willing to give you an answer for every problem you face. Parenting issues are not excluded. If he cares about the affairs of sparrows, certainly He cares about what concerns YOU.
So Matthew's new behavior will be dealt with according to the wisdom of God. No matter what, I believe that He will direct me and give me the game plan to move past this little bump in the road called growing up.