Things I Never Thought I'd Say as a Mother

Today I had to have a serious discussion with R because she's taken to running around with just her undies on. So, with hubby's help -- he was home for lunch -- we told her there would be serious consequences if she came out of her room with just her undies on. I fear we may never see her again. As she walked up the stairs, hubby qualified it by saying, "unless it's an emergency." Uh oh. Now her idea of an emergency is so different from ours. She thinks Barbie needing a new hair clip is an emergency. Looking for a snack is an emergency. I bet we're gonna be revisiting this topic again soon.

It got me to thinking about things I never thought I'd say as a mother. I think to some degree we all think and maybe even say as kids that we'll be different from our own mothers. I remember thinking that I would never say, "Because I said so." Apparently I can convey that short, simple sentence with just a look. My kids know when I'm gonna say it and they better not challenge me on it either.

I'm thinking the above example is fairly common. Do you remember thinking that way as a child?

When S, our oldest, had just learned to read, she was so excited. She still loves to read. K was the same way. When they were between 8 and 10 I remember a number of times going into their rooms after they were supposed to be asleep and finding them reading under the covers with a flashlight. (Like we moms can't see the flashlight under the covers.) :-)

I never thought I'd have to say, "Stop reading and go to sleep!" There are other moms I know of who have had this same thing happen to them.

I never thought I'd have to say, "put down the electronics and interact with the people around you." It seems so neat to be able to text message with your friend in another state, or play a game on your cell phone, or listen to whatever music you choose on your mp3 player...

Back in the day, 8-tracks were all the rage and fast-forwarding or rewinding was an imprecise science and so it was better to listen to the whole thing rather than have to push buttons going forward and backward until you finally arrived at the song you really wanted to hear.

I never thought I'd have to call my children on their cell phone because they can't hear me calling them because the ear buds from the aforementioned mp3 player are firmly, and permanently it seems, planted in their ears. We live in a less than 1,000 square foot house, even the hard of hearing should be able to hear me calling them in this house!

So while I cherish the advantages of technology, and recognize its benefits, especially in the medical field... there are times when I long for the simplicity of that 8-track.

What did you think you'd never say to your kids?

How much does it cost to pay attention?

R and I stayed home to take care of mountains of work (which I am currently hiding from hoping it will somehow dissapate while I play) while S, K and hubby went to Omaha so K could try out for American Idol. It's also a mini-vacation for them all and I am glad they are enjoying the company of friends out there.

R and I were talking about politeness and how you should pay attention to your hosts and hostesses so that you don't intentionally give offense to them. But R wasn't paying close attention, and asked, "How much does it cost to pay attention?" :grin:

I told her it doesn't "cost" anything except our time and focusing on what people are saying and doing, like when I tell her to listen in church.

Our elderly neighbor called late this morning. She was quite agitated and immediately went into a tirade about a phone call she received late last night that she supposed was from one of my older daughters. The caller had told her to turn her TV off, close her window and go to sleep. The caller also chided her for watching whatever was on the TV. Our neighbor when on for about 4 minutes before I shouted over her to tell her that our girls were in another state! This took a while to sink in and our neighbor was telling me she didn't want trouble with her neighbors and it couldn't be the neighbors on the other side because she's never had trouble with them.

Until this neighbor called, we did not have her phone number. I suppose we could have looked it up in the phone book, but we haven't needed to so far. Our very limited contact with her came in the form of checking on her after the blizzard last October and subsequent heavy snowfalls for which my hubby shoveled for her. The girls also brought her some home-baked goodies at Christmastide.

She repeated herself several times and after finding out that I agreed with her that she should be able to watch whatever she wants on the TV as well as keep her window open, she apologized and invited me over for coffee.

Proving again, that it just takes time and focus to *pay attention.*

Young Eyes

I was looking over my daytimer the other day and found something I wrote down in April. When I read it, I recalled exactly where we were and what was going on when it was said.

We were traveling from from the other side of town and it was almost twilight. We were traveling west, so we could see the gorgeous sun setting behind the majestic Rocky Mountains.

I was having a hard time seeing because of the sunlight and how it was positioned to be glaring out at us at exactly where the stoplight was. As I commented on this, R, said, "It's green, Mommy, you can go." To which I said, thanks. Then she said, "I'm a better see-er than parents."

She probably is... that kiddo observes much and speaks the truth!

Promotion Day!

Yesterday was our homeschool support groups' annual Promotion Day.

It was such a fun day! The zip line seemed to be the biggest attraction this year.

S and K took turns at it and enjoyed it. Now for K, this was no big deal, as any opportunity she gets she scrambles up rock walls and loves to rappel down. S, however, has had a fear of heights, so climbing up the vertical and then going down the zip line were major accomplishments for her!

Anyway, I thought I'd share the Promotion Day certificate wording with you and some pictures taken yesterday. Our group gives the certificates made by a volunteer (thanks Jane!) with 100 words or less sent in by the parents and issued by age.

R's, at age 7: Highlights of this past year include the brave way you let go of the only home you’d known and clung instead to the loving hands of God that reached out to you from friends and family. You learned about Columbus, early explorers of America, the creation story, the books of the Bible, the 10 Commandments, and the Apostles Creed. And you learned to read! Imaginative play and singing songs are ways you entertain yourself. Your wit and joy and perfectly formed arguments show us that debate is in your future. We love you and are proud of you!

K's, at age 15: The instability of life gives us opportunities to trust God in different ways than when things are going well. You learned about that kind of mature trust in the Lord and that He works through various means to care for us. Despite that, you persevered in teaching others and being an excellent friend. Your quiet service to your family is appreciated. Your huge heart and capacity to love and forgive will enable you to serve others throughout your life. Follow your dreams of using your voice to help others. We love you and are proud of you!

S's, at age 18, and graduating: How we go about handling the adversities of life teaches us a lot about ourselves and in your case provided many with inspiration about grace and trust in the Lord. Your service to others is commendable and a valuable asset as you set out to pursue your dream of being involved in the political world. You danced through good times with friends this year, showing another side to grace and confidence. Your giving, teaching spirit will bless others as you now encounter them as a graduate of homeschool. We love you and are proud of you!

Hubby was part of the MC team, and here's one of him giving S her certificate.

Sorry the quality isn't better, I'm just learning how to use the camera on my cell phone.

When They Hurt

When your kids are little, you can kiss away their boo-boos. There's satisfaction in knowing that as a parent you can fix their ills and make everything better.

As they grow though, the hurts aren't so easy to fix. You want to be able to kiss them away, but you can't.

But the Lord has placed them in your care, and so it is one of the high honors of parenthood to be able to guide them along the way as they negotiate the maze of the hurts that this sinful world can impose upon its occupants.

The vocation of parenthood is noble. Thank you, Lord, for these children that you've entrusted to me and my husband. It is with joy and much love that I call myself their mother.

Logical Musings of a 6-year old

So, last weekend was a debate tournament that S was competing in.

Hubby brought daughters K and R to the last round to see S debate. While waiting for the debate to start, the younger brother of S's debate partner was talking with R. She wanted to go home and he teasingly told her that no one was going home that there was going to be a big sleep-over at the church where the tournament was being held. He told her that the boys were going to sleep in the sanctuary and the girls would sleep on the roof of the church.

She put her little hand on her jutted out hip and said, "Nuh-uh! If the girls sleep on the roof (it has snowed that day and was bitterly cold and windy) they'll die from the cold. Then the boys will have no one to talk to. If the boys have no one to talk to, there will be no one to marry. If they can't get married, there will be no children and the world will end."

He wanted to know when she was going to start debating. Clearly she had a well-thought out and articulated argument against his plan. Guess she's picking up debate theory from listening to her older sisters! :-)

Dirty Clothes

So, we were shopping at the local Goodwill store yesterday as R has outgrown most of her pants in the last four months (when we last got her pants because she had grown taller).

R was full of questions. First she asked me why babies have blood on them when they come out of their mommy's tummies. I told her it was just part of the process of birth and that there were lots of fluids that came out of mommies when babies were born. She then asked me if it was the baby that was bleeding. I assured it was the mommy, but it was ok because that's how God designed it.

And then R asked me, "Why don't babies come out with their clothes on?" I responded, "They don't need them in their mom's tummies."

She thought about this and then responded, "Is it because they'll get too dirty in there?"

A lady who was looking nearby squatted down and began laughing as quietly as she could.

And I tucked this precious moment in my heart for pondering later.

Oh, how I love these moments with my kids!