by Meridith Borta, Elementary Assistant Principal
and Mom to 3 energetic girls
Announcement Day
I remember the event like it was
yesterday. I was newly pregnant with my 3rd child, but my husband
and I had decided to keep it a secret until I was a little farther along. The
day finally arrived when I was going to announce it to the world . . . more
specifically, I was going to announce it to the students at Faith Christian School
(which in the realm of rumor mills is like sharing it with the world). Not ashamed of making the big announcement by
donning a clever t-shirt, I arrived to school wearing a shirt that had one word
across the front—EXPECTING! That one word invoked a feeling of both panic and
excitement as I thought about how my life would be vastly different with three
children. At the time, I was already the mother of two energetic (we know what
this word really means when used in
this context) children, ages 2 ½ and 5. I could handle one more, right? I was a
pro by now. . .
The Delusion
I got off work, picked up my
Kindergartener from school, and headed over to pick up my two-year old from
pre-school. I had some grocery shopping to do and was going to head to the nearest
Walmart. It’s important to mention that I could have made the trip a little
less stressful by leaving my two-year-old at preschool just a little bit longer.
However, as a working mom, I miss my children so greatly during the day, and I
was looking forward with great anticipation to a blissfully exciting outing. My
delusion included a picture of shopping with my daughters in perfect
harmony—the kids would tell me about their day, I would float from aisle to
aisle peacefully gathering the few items on my list, and people would stop me
all along the way telling me what well-behaved children I had (and how excited
I must be to have another on the way!).
I’m sure you know what is coming.
Things did not go as planned.
The Fateful Event
I was THAT mom. The one with the
frazzled and frustrated look on her face. The delusion soon evaporated with the
bickering, whining, and pouting that ensued. I had broken the first rule of
grocery shopping with little ones: never go when the kids are tired! The new
plan became “Get what you need and GET OUT FAST”. We were on the home stretch.
We just needed to check out and then I would be safe in the car where no one
could look at me with their judgmental glares. With the children no longer
confined to the cart basket, I recognized the potential for disaster, but I was
on a mission to turn the trip around. I instructed the kids to each grab the
front of the cart and wait patiently. In their defense, they did just that.
What I didn’t anticipate was that they would both stand up on the end of the
cart at the same time. The cart, not weighed down any longer by groceries,
flipped over on top of them, trapping them under it like mice in a trap. In a
feeble effort to catch the cart on its way down, I sliced three of my fingers
open when the cart folding mechanism opened and slammed back down on my hand.
There I was, bleeding, two children screaming and pinned under a shopping cart,
and all I could think about was “They ALL know I am EXPECTING another one!” 
Parents out there, please tell me that
I am not the only one who has had one of those moments. Maybe your children
weren’t trapped under a shopping cart, but maybe you got a call from your
child’s teacher about discipline problems in class. Maybe you turned around at
the zoo and your child was simply gone. Maybe you took your eyes off of them
for one second and they fell and broke an arm. Maybe you and your child cannot
seem to agree on anything and your home feels a battle zone.
Parenthood is hard! What an
overwhelming responsibility it can seem to be at times. How do we tackle this
challenge and train up our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord,
and still keep our sanity? As a mom who continues to try to figure it out, I
don’t have all the answers. However, here are some things that I have come to
find as necessary and some verses that have encouraged me so far.
Pray! We need to pray daily for God’s
leading and wisdom in our lives as we attempt to raise our children in Godly
homes.
“Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest
you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your
heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children
and your children’s children—” Deuteronomy 4:9
Don’t compare! It is so easy to
compare ourselves with other parents who always seem to have it together or
compare our children with the children of others.
Don’t lose heart! Our children may go
through phases that seem never-ending. During those trying times, we may have
successes and failures in the way we handle our children. Remember that God’s
grace is sufficient and He stands ready to forgive.
Wait on the Lord! If this is a
particularly hard time in your home, be patient and be encouraged. I Peter 5:6-7
says, “Humble
yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due
time. Cast all your anxiety
on him because he cares for you.” Never tire of following God’s commands for
parents no matter how hard it may be.
“You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk
of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you
lie down, and when you rise.” Deuteronomy 6:7
“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he
will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6
I know I have a long road ahead. Those
of you with children older than mine may be saying “You think it is hard now!
Just wait!” Believe me. I know more challenges are coming. But I also know in
whom I have believed, and trust that through it all (even the teenage years) we
will be held firmly in the palm of His hand.
No comments:
Post a Comment