Covering Your Bases

One of the things I love about parenting is that you just can't cover all of your bases.  I am seeing this more and more as the kids grow older.  Most things could fit the category of: if I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times.  But here are a few recent examples that have just not crossed the radar until it's too late:

*my oldest, in his numbers obsession, asking people how much they weigh or how much money they have
*my oldest daughter, who loves all things mom-hood, asking people if they're pregnant (who, by the way, aren't)
*one of my children, who shall remain as anonymous as possible, bending over and drinking water out of the dog dish
*telling people they can smell their stinky breath or even more recently, that somebody's feet were smelly, upon shoe removal
*my youngest putting her used diaper in the toilet
*asking someone very publicly if he or she released a foul odor

This is a seriously infinitesimal set of examples of the things that go on with these kids.  So much of the time I want to shout at them: I don't even understand what you were thinking!  But, I suppose that's the point.  They weren't thinking- at least not in the way a seasoned adult thinks.  It is our job to train them.  No, I cannot pre-empt every move they make with a specific instruction: children, if ever you see a man with a big belly, don't ask him if he is pregnant, because it is not possible for men to be pregnant.  Some things, I just didn't anticipate.  And really, isn't the part of parenting that keeps you on your toes the most sanctifying part?  Maybe I'm just comforting myself by calling these countless moments sanctifying, but give this tired and pregnant mom of four a break.  Regardless of whether such moments happen as often for you, you will never be able to address every particular your child encounters.  BUT, the good news: teaching them to live by scriptures like "do to others what you would have them do to you," and helping them to pass their words through the screening process, is the most effective way of dealing with inane outbursts.

I am determined that children and pregnant women have equally finite perspectives on time.  My son has been counting down the days for an adventure we will soon take, and declared today that a month of waiting is FOREVER.  We (moms and pregnant ladies) need not give into fleshly perspectives when the going gets rough.  If you're a mom of littles, part of you might still be clinging to the life that you led before-- the discretionary time you once had, might still be being safeguarded in your heart.  If you're a mom of littles-getting bigger (like me), each day can be a challenge as you're constantly surrounded by unrefined personalities and unchecked sin (and I'm not only talking about your kids).  Remember that life is hard, but it is not your own.  So much in America is catered to our personal well-being.  But the Bible calls us to put off our own desires and DAILY to pick up our cross and follow Him.  So as a mom, this means that plodding through each moment, might require extra prayer for graciousness in each situation, but we must always be ready to communicate to our kids through our actions, through our instructions and through our discipline, all the Godly truths we can pile into their noggins and hope that God uses it to refine their hearts.  Do the work of an evangelist with your children and do not become weary in doing good.  Have a little perspective: the physical and emotional toll of child-rearing will one day cease- and it's actually not going to take FOREVER. Soon, your kids will grow.  So by God's grace, by saturating yourself in the Word and prayer on a daily basis, you will get through it well (though stumbling is inevitable).