Just Be a Kid Today!

Me (age 5) With my family :)

Many of you probably had “that toy” when you were little, you know, the one that was just more special that the others-your unrivaled favorite.  I enjoyed playing house with all my dolls, but none more than my Cabbage Patch Boy, Andy.  I saved up all of my money to buy him myself.  I even sent in his “official” adoption forms so I would get a certificate saying I was Andy’s “real” mom.

 Last year my parents drove to my house and brought a large box full of my childhood toys and in that box was my precious Andy with all of his clothes and his “official” adoption certificate.  Upon the sight of all these things, memories flooded my mind.  I truly loved Andy-he was my son.  I couldn’t wait to finish school so I could go home to him and we could play together.  I spent as much time as I could holding him, loving him, and enjoying him.  It sounds silly to say now, but the innocence of my childhood playing with Andy was so wonderful.

Those days of playing, however, have long past, and now life is full of all those adult things to do.  It seems like in today’s world there’s an expectation to be “Super Mom”.  We should be able to do all things and still look cute, maintain our sanity, and never grow tired.  I often find myself checking in on Facebook or Pintrest and instantly feeling inferior-It seems like all of my friends have perfect kids, clean houses, matching outfits, and gorgeous hair and make-up when my biggest accomplishment of the day is changing from one set of pajamas to another.

I’m not upset with others for doing well, I’m blaming myself for looking at it incorrectly.  God gave me my life-a life that I’m thankful for and love very much! Everyone has tough days and that’s OK-the trick is not letting Satan take those tough days and use them to make you feel that you’re anything less than God’s amazing creation.  No, I’m not perfect, but b/c I have Jesus, I don’t need to be!  All I need to do is ask and God will be my strength, my patience, and my encouragement.  

I get caught up in the “to-do” lists, the piles of laundry, the demands of the world.  I forget what it means to stop and completely focus on the beauty of my own children’s childhoods.  I often hear about how quickly it all passes.  Before I know it my children won’t be kids anymore and I will be longing for those sweet snuggles, requests that I play, and silly laughs at the little things.  I forget that they are God’s creation too-and I need to spend the time He’s given me with them, not with piles of dirty dishes!

So today, I encourage you, Mommies, let the lists go-stop worrying about the chores, the errands, and the stresses of adult life.  Ask God to be your strength, patience, and encouragement.  Take time to stop and enjoy childhood again with your own kids!

One thing that helps me do this is praying scripture for myself and my kids-here is my prayer for today-I encourage you to try this too! There is nothing more powerful than speaking God’s promises over your life and your family to remind you about what’s really important today!

This verse is a prayer/praise to God from the people of Israel-As Christians we are now God’s chosen people, so this is amazingly powerful when you plug in your own name, family, or children and pray this aloud back to God!

1 Kings 8:57-60
⁵⁷May the LORD our God be with NATALIE as he was with our fathers; may he never leave HER nor forsake HER. ⁵⁸May he turn NATALIE’S heart to him, to walk in all his ways and to keep the commands, decrees and regulations he gave HER fathers. ⁵⁹And may these words of mine, which I have prayed before the LORD, be near to the LORD our God day and night, that he may uphold the cause of ME, his servant and the cause of NATALIE according to each day's need, ⁶⁰so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God and that there is no other.

Just 2, Huh?!

Our family moves around a lot.  With all of that moving comes meeting new people.  That inevitably leads to the obligatory “Getting to know you” small talk.  I actually love to meet new friends and love talking to people (those of you who know me well, know what I’m sayin here!) Anyway, as we’ve encountered some of these new people, I’ve found myself overwhelmingly annoyed by their response to my statement about how many kids I have. 

Many of you now must be thinking I’m one of you amazing women who have like 6 kids AND her sanity-while I immensely respect you mommies of multitudes, I am not one.  So now you must really be wondering what I’m talking about.

Well, in the past few years our family has expanded from 1 child to 2 children and apparently having 2 kids is just no big deal.  I can’t tell you how many times in our meeting new people, during the “getting to know you” small talk I’ve said, “We have 2 girls” and received the response-“Oh, only 2?” followed up with, what I consider MUCH more than “getting to know you” small talk,  “So are you having more?” As if 2 just isn’t impressive enough to have mentioned or we are expected to have more, b/c 2 is just not enough to keep busy (yet somehow they managed to keep me mighty busy!)

Now, let’s be clear, I have often jokingly asked my sisters, my cousins, and even my friends, “So when are you trying for another munchkin?” I am not offended so much by the question itself, but rather the implication it carries in the context above.   Perhaps what is even worse is that this response has been from people who also have kids.  I was always under the impression that 2 kids was just “the norm” (not that that has anything to do with why we have 2), but apparently the larger family is on the rise with our generation.  I fully support the idea of larger families, but more importantly I embrace the idea of each family making a God-lead decision about what’s right for them without judgment (especially from other Christians!)

As a military wife I’m expected to have it all together, handle anything from a deployment to moving 1,000 miles with a child, while pregnant over the Christmas holiday (yes, we’ve done that-I don’t recommend it!).  So in that context, quite obviously 2 kids is easier than say 3-4.   That being said, it’s not a competition, point system, or battle to see who is more woman amongst us b/c they have the biggest entourage (that’s what I call my little ones for fun when they are in tow!)

But 2 kids is a lot-Shoot, 1 kid is a lot! Having a child changes everything and having 2 kids changes it again, and 3 again, and so-on.  My fellow mommies know that kids can be all-consuming.  They require tons of  love and attention.  Even on the good days, they still change the way you do everything-not in a bad way, but life is VASTLY different once you have children.  What I guess is most annoying to me is the implication that 2 kids is just easy, so hey why not just have another-as if children are just something you collect b/c you have extra rooms in your house-you have an empty bedroom, so why not head over to Best Buy and pick another kid to fill the space. 

For my family having a child is treated like the BIG deal that it is! Yes, it is God who makes the final decision, but every family should be prayer about God's path for them, especially when it comes to having kids! And for all of those people who think 2 kids is no big deal, I would invite them to come and visit at about 3pm when the oldest (who NEVER naps) is throwing toys at the youngest (SHOULD be napping, but won't fall asleep) while at the same time the dishes need washing, the laundry is piling up, and dinner is waiting to be prepared and that’s not even counting the errands! 

I’m not saying that 2 kids is impossible or even difficult all the time-and to those of you with many more, just laugh at my naivety, but for our family, God said 2 is enough. We love our children and are more than content with that. I have also heard from friends with many children that people often say rude things about the fact that they have 4 or 5 kids, which is just wrong! Please don’t condescend b/c God called your family to something different.

We need to be encouraging one another and lifting our sisters in Christ up b/c whether you’re a mom of 1 sweet soul or many more sweet souls, we all have the same calling from God-to be Godly mothers to whatever children He gives us and point them to Him.  No matter how many kids you have that is a very challenging, exciting, and life changing undertaking for anyone!

“Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6