Once of the most impressionable things I’ve ever heard during a homeschooling convention was a quote shared by Marilyn Boyer from her son. He said that what set her apart from all the other Moms he knew was the fact that she delighted in her children.
Whipped Diaper Cream – “a dessert” made especially for me by my 2-year-old. I almost didn’t laugh at this one.
Good moms can homeschool and catechize their kids. They can take them to the doctor when they’re sick, feed them nutritious meals, limit their sugar intake, and tuck them in bed at night. Being an excellent mom may or may not include all that.
What is does include, from a child’s point of view, is taking joy in your children and the opportunities we have to serve them. It means having a happy countenance, looking into their eyes and smiling – often-, and familiarizing them with the ring in your laughter.
The first bouquet of flowers my daughter ever picked for me out of her own accord.
Much of child-raising is serious business. Discipleship, tending to injuries, and instilling a good work ethic are not laughing matters. There is a time and places for soberness in parenting. But when that time is up, let it be your outburst of giggles when your daughter scares you upon exiting the bathroom, your enthusiastic appreciation for a wilted dandelion bouquet, and the soothing rhythm of your story-time voice that your children remember.
It’s easy to become complacent as a mother. The daily pattern of washing dishes, folding laundry, nursing baby, making dinner, and tiredly falling into bed at night can quickly become ho-hum. Joyless monotony not only makes our tasks seem harder, but it also affects our children and the overall spirit of our homes. You know the saying, “If Momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy!”
If the pressures of keeping a spot-free home are causing you to view your children as sticky-fingered nuisances rather than a heritage from the Lord, then pause and decipher where the idea got its roots. If it’s springing from anything extra-biblical (cultural norms, unrealistic, self-imposed standards, or family pressure) throw it away and give whatever task has gotten in the way back to the devil, as Micheal Pearl says.
The vanity drawer, emptied into the toilet by my son.
I dare you. For just today, let the dust gather and the laundry mount. It will still be there tomorrow but your children will not. Hold her hand and run through the sprinkler. Build a tower of blocks with your son and laugh when he knocks it over. Go for a walk through the meadow and let them stop every three feet to add another wildflower to their bouquet. Eat ice cream for lunch. Maybe even let them stay up past their bed-time so they can count the stars.
Daddy and Judah delighting in each other.
Let them know they are loved and that you love being what God has called you to be: a mother first, a homemaker second.
