Life Lessons

I was talking with a fellow homeschool mom on the playground this afternoon. She has 4 little darling blondie girls under the age of six. As we chatted, we watched another mom's little boy crawl under the chain-link fence to join the older children, and then we watched a little two-year-old try to follow. The mom swooped up her little one, and said "No, sweetie, that's not for you to do."



She mentioned that she has a friend of an only child, who will tell her that her girls are being a 'bad influence' on her precious little one. My friend wasn't criticizing, merely observing that this mom will soon realize that life isn't perfect when her next one is born.



As the mama to a 9-year-old, I told her that the other mom will soon realize that it is an ongoing project. I, too, probably tried to keep my daughter from 'bad' influences. And these aren't really even 'bad', rather they are ways-to-add-gray-hairs-to-your-mama bad things.



O has a friend who is from a dear family, but there are issues that we've observed in the home that we don't want in our home. We've encouarged our daughter to 'obey no matter what' and to be firm in her beliefs. She has had a couple of opportunities to try these things, but it hasn't gone well.

During my devotional time the other day, I felt impressed to tell Olivia that what we're asking her to do is a 'hard' thing, and we don't expect her to get it right first thing. It's an ongoing thing that she needs to work on, and that we will make a point to pray before each visit with this friend.

After we talked, and she was comforted by this fact that we acknowledged it's a hard thing, the Lord directed me to my own struggles. I am so hard on myself when I fail, and fail, and fail. So then I was comforted by the realization that God is asking me to do hard things - die to my self will, and He doesn't expect me to be perfect all of the time, but I certainly need to pray, keep myself immersed in the Word, and keep trying.

What an amazing God! I am so so thankful for the priviledge of being a parent, and for what the Lord teaches me through being one!! Amazing Love!