A sandy-haired boy with deep ocean blue eyes and a strong stature, coyly sits. He reminds me of a young David in the Bible; fearless, handsome, and loveable. His emotions dangle off his sleeves as he lives his life in extremes. Hate and love are often on his lips… as he either disdains something or can’t imagine life without it. This boy, a warrior at heart, filled with passion and emotion is my son, Jayden.
My body is tired from a long day, I have a slight headache, and some crazy hair. Yet, as I sit here, I fully comprehend why God called the man blessed who has kids. It is not the temporary discomforts that affect anything in a large scale; your body will have good and bad days. So as I sit here with my youngest on my lap, I am extremely thankful. I am thankful for the impromptu dance parties, the silly jokes, the brilliant way that children’s minds work, the sweet cards, the time they want to spend with me, and their pure faith. The list could going on endlessly. How do you show your appreciation to the ones who mean so much? How do you bless your children and express your thankfulness?
Her favorite blanket was missing. Sure she has others, but this is her new favorite. A cute blanket with a cow on it that she lovingly refers to as ‘moo-moo’. We looked for a while, but nothing showed up. So she stopped and said, “I know what to do!” With her eyes clinched together she prayed, “Lord, please help me find my Moo-Moo, Amen.”
In today’s busy society, multitasking seems essential to keep up with all the demands of daily living, yet with this mentality sometimes we don’t pause long enough to show proper respect. I think teaching children respect at a young age really makes a big difference.
Parents have a big responsibility. We are supposed to train and guide our precious children to the best of our abilities. 24 hours in a day does not seem like enough time for this monumental task. Just the other day I was picking up some cold cuts at Walmart when a fellow customer stopped me and asked me what my youngest son was eating. “What” I asked, because I hadn’t given him anything. To my horror he had ripped off a piece of plastic from the shopping cart handle and was happily sucking on it. “Am I fit for this task?” I questioned myself.
Playtime at McDonalds was over. It was time to wrap things up and get going. Of course telling three children that it’s time to leave is easier said then done. After much repetition I finally got all three kids in the van. Relieved, yet frustrated, I sat down and stated, “You know you guys really have to listen and obey mommy” Isabella’s response, “Why?”
God is faithful to all His promises (Psalm 145:13). So when God makes one we should stop and listen. Do you look for a rainbow after a rainfall? Sometimes I do. Perhaps it’s the beauty, perhaps the wonder? My four year old listed the colors to me today :) I am not sure I know too many four year olds who actually list indigo in there, but if you knew my Timmy it wouldn’t come as too much of a surprise.
FlyBy Promotions presented me with the opportunity to do a book review. I get to give a book to one of my readers, and receive one myself, pretty cool deal! I always love getting new books for my kids. We read 3 books every night before bed, 2-3 before nap time, and more throughout the day (especially if the kids butter me up). So needless to say… we love to read!
Awakened at the crack of dawn by a 31″ girl and a 37″ boy. I stumble half awake as my children ask for “dinks”, a.k.a. drinks. We start our routine of breakfast, cartoons, devotional… the list continues.
As parents we desire the very best for our kids. We want to love them with all that we are, but it does not take a rocket scientist to realize that parenting is hard. We mess up daily. This conflicting interest of desiring the best for our kids while being imperfect is a tough battle. Not only do we fall short with things we can change, but feel overwhelmed by things we can’t change.