I love being a Mom, and it's definitely the hardest thing I've ever done. I guess the harder the task, the greater the reward!
I am the type of person who will read every book I can find on a subject, and parenthood was no exception. Himself would see the stack of books next to my bed and ask me to simply highlight the things I thought he needed to know. I am so thankful that God not only led me to excellent books and wisdom, but He gave me the fortitude to apply the things I'd learned with enthusiasm and consistency.
I discovered a wealth of information on:
Cloth vs. Disposable diapers (I've used both)
Baby Foods (grind up and mash what you're eating without seasonings)
Consistent Discipline (No means no!)
Schedules and Routines
Crafts and Games
Reading Books early and often (we still devour them!)
Consciously Enjoy Every Moment (I'm so, SO thankful I did this!)
Ditch the TV as much as possible, and NO TVs in the bedrooms!
Lots of Love and Lots of Laughter
Those things took thought and effort and were immensely worth it. Watching the scene in Marley and Me, however, brought up memories of the areas where there was no teaching. Or, if there was, it was a side-note or brief mention.
There are so many things I can now clearly see that would have made a world of difference. Watching the woman in the movie explode with anger and frustration made it even more clear. In no particular order, here's what I hope God allows me to teach and disciple to other women!
1. The discipline of prayer. Face it - it all starts here. I've read books here and there on the subject, but I would have loved a person to ask me when I was complaining about my frustrations, "Did you pray for your children today? Did you start there?" and then hold me to it.
2. How to truly help and respect my husband, and how much personal fulfillment it brings. I've since attended some terrific seminars at my church on this subject, wishing I had this information 23 years ago!
3. The secret of contentment is thankfulness. It took me 11 years and 2500 miles away from home to learn this. (More on this later.)
4. Dying to self = new life, not death. As the woman in the movie said, she had to give up so much of what made her who she was. Yes, but only so a new person could be born! It's not bad, it's not wrong, it's just new and different.
5. Homemaking is a job and a priority; a craft to learn and pursue with excellence as one would a professional trade.
6. Especially with small children, do not take their sin personally. As I began to recognize that my children were struggling with their sin natures and not necessarily me, I was amazed at how easy it was to remain calm and NOT be angry. I still have a default reaction that I have to fight in order to get to this point (it slips once in a while!), but it is becoming more and more a way of life.
Next, I'd like to explore the things I've done that directly sabotaged all of those lessons.
3 comments:
I'd love to hear your thoughts on cloth verses disposable diapers. I've heard conflicting stories from people.
I really regret that I didn't enjoy them when they were so young. I was just trying to survive. Spacing them apart better would have helped, I'm sure! But, now that they are older, I'm trying to make a point of doing that. It takes a conscious effort, though, because life is so busy and they're so needy!
As for disposable v. cloth diapers, isn't that one of life's modern conveniences that moms of old would have loved to have had?! :-)
Ugh, I've so many things I'd like to say - more that I want to learn! These topics are so interesting!
I feel so behind on blogging world. I only have time to skim over posts during my 5:30 am breakfast.
Looking forward to Friday! :)
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