Growing men

I will tell you this: being a parent is hard work! And desiring to raise civilized, well-mannered children with a love for God is even harder work! I know you're all laughing...I'm sure you're all thinking, "Well, duh! Welcome to the real world!" And it only gets harder as the children get older.

I will also tell you this: I do a lot of things wrong as a parent. I lose my cool. I forget to follow through. I say "just a minute" too often. Somestimes I even ignore my kids because I selfishly want to do what I want. (I'm not proud of this, but it's the truth.) Many days I am not the mom I want to be. But you know what? I still see evidence that God is doing a work in the lives and hearts of my children. And He's using this flawed, imperfect woman to acheive it. Humbled? Oh, yes I am. Blessed? Beyond measure.

I shared in a previous post that in order to get Harrison to hold my hand in busy parking lots, I say, "Help keep mommy safe." It works like a dream. Lately, we've also been asking him to hold one or both of the girls' hands. If you tell Amana to hold Harrison's hand you get one cranky, defiant two year old. If you ask Harrison to hold Amana's hand to keep her safe, you get one proud, protective brother. Thinking this through, I see the heart God has given men, even little 2 year old men. There are probably exceptions, but I see in my little boy the desire to be a MAN. He likes to push doors open for me (some are harder than others, so I help a little, unbeknownst to my little man!). When I walk through the door, he smiles when I tell him how strong he is. Then he flexes his muscles. I catch myself saying to him, "Be careful!" He's so adventurous and daring. And I'm his poor mother afterall! But I've realized I may be saying it a little too often: not because he's being wild too often, but because sometimes he needs to hear me say how brave he is instead. I'm a work in progress. I'm learning, slowly!

On a funnier note, let me tell you this story. Getting ready to leave a meeting this week, a couple with grown children were helping me gather up all the kids and load them into the van. The husband knelt down to help Harrison zip his coat. Out of nowhere Harrison says something to the man, in a way that would sound as if you'd say, "Hey, I like your blue shirt." Except that Harrison said, "Hey, I like your big nose." I tried to apologize on behalf of my son, but I was laughing too hard! Thankfully this couple laughed right along with me!