“As you enter a house, wish it peace.” Matthew 10:12
I am a problem solver. Nothing gives me more joy than fixing a difficult situation. It’s a very handy character trait when there’s a problem in my own life or household, or when someone asks me for help.
It wasn’t such a great quality when I couldn’t shut it off. That’s when I gave unsolicited advice, or took over completely when someone merely asked for my opinion (just ask my husband about that).
Before I got a handle on things, I used to meddle in other moms’ lives. I did so because I thought I was helping. Looking back I realize, who was I to judge what was right for them? Continue reading
Mason’s baseball team made it to the Championships. But with all the rain and cancellations, the only slot they could get for the game was the last Wednesday of school, from 7 p.m. to 9 .m. That meant Jocelyn was up way too late during an already crazy-busy week. Add to that Zack’s occasional preteen attitude, mix, and shake. The result was Jocelyn and Zack going at each other while getting ready for bed that night.
As I washed Jocelyn’s hair in the bathtub the other morning, we chatted about random things. I’m not quite sure how, but we ended up talking about babies. Jocelyn said she wanted her first baby to be a girl. At just seven years of age, she had it all planned out. “When I’m pregnant,” she said, “I’ll pray to God for a girl. He’ll hear my prayer and give me one.”
I have heard September called the “Mom Olympics” with all the obstacles we have to overcome to get our kids settled back at school. If September is the Olympics, June must be the Olympic Trials. As the school year winds down, our days wind up into a frenzied whirlwind of school concerts, field trips, field days, class parties, etc.
This past weekend was insane for everyone. Between high school graduation parties, baptisms, birthday parties and kids’ sporting events, there wasn’t a single mom I spoke with who wasn’t running from Friday afternoon, right up until Sunday evening. I was no exception.
Before becoming a mother, I saw kids as a clean slate. I believed it was a mom’s responsibility to teach them everything: form every aspect of them. Based on that, I was a patient and creative mom with my first child, Zack. I almost never yelled or lost my cool.