Showing posts with label growing up. Show all posts
Showing posts with label growing up. Show all posts

Saturday, June 27, 2015

Redeemer

Grrr...
My crazy mouth says stupid things some days.  Today a friend was talking about having children....what do I say? "It's really hard!!!"  

Not that I was speaking untruthfully, but let's be honest, that's not the best way to advertise motherhood! Am I right?  Sure it is difficult some days, but they are so worth the struggle.  And when it is most difficult we learn so much!  Our best life lessons come through pain, and parenting can certainly bring that....pain, and love and growth and blessings beyond measure.

Recently we went through something very personal with one of our daughters.  It was by far thee hardest thing that I have ever had to "deal with" as a mother, thus far.  It HURT.  I was hurt for her, for us as her parents, for the world and culture we live in.  I literally felt broken.  I cried as hard as if I had actually lost a child, of course I can not compare this in reality, as I have never faced such a tragedy, but this is how my soul felt....like she had been lost.  And nothing I could do could repair this damage.  Parenting IS hard.  

But we do not parent alone....God has always been beside me.  He can redeem what has been broken or lost.  He makes all things new!  I cannot do these things, but I have the faith to trust that He will carry me during these darker times.  And my girls are witnessing God in these moments too.  Without any hard times, how would we truly recognize God at work?  I'm grateful for the "hard parenting days".  Much more grateful for the simple ones, where everyone is happy, and enjoys one another, sure.  But both bring blessing and great memories.  And in these days where innocence is fleeting, tweens years if you will....I am loving the opportunity that God is giving ME.  Opportunity to show grace, compassion, love, tenderness, and understanding to my daughters. To show Jesus. 

For one or two days, I struggled, cried, prayed.  Thought all was lost.  But my god is not the God of dead and lost things....He is the God of life and renewal!

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23
Being a mom means sharing what I love to do with my girls!
My baby and I on our way to family yoga class!
Being a mom means embarassing your kids and developing a great sense of humor in them!  I love being a mom.....more than anything on the earth.
Being a mom means watching your baby become a woman right before your eyes.  There is nothing like it, God's gift of a lifelong friend in a tiny package that all too soon grows to be taller than you and share your shoes....

Yes. Having kids is hard work.  But there is no other work in the world that I would rather do. There is no other work in the world that has a greater reward.
  

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

My Not-So-Little Girl...

Well, it has finally happened.  I am the mother of a menstruating pre-teen!  If she ever reads these blogs, she will surely disown me, but until then, you should at least be entertained.  And I should at least have the pleasure of sharing funny, and awkward mom-moments!

So it is the last day of 5th grade and a potential problem has been "spotted".  I inquire with the only other person who has used my bathroom that morning as to what it may be.  She swears it wasn't her.  Pretty sure she had no idea that it really WAS her.  So I suggested today was a good day for panty liners, just in case!

After dropping the girls at their last day of school, I ran to target to get anything I could think of for a tiny body like hers to get through a possible period....trying to make it exciting for her as well.  I had found many "period packs" and ideas on Pinterest in the past, now I was assembling my own at the frantic last minute!
Pretty sure I succeeded!


Inside were all the necessities I could come up with:
Tween size pads
Freshen up wipes
Hand sanitizer
Acetaminophen 
(CHEWABLE since she can't take a pill yet!) 
Mini Calendar to track her days
and last but not least....
Dark Chocolate



She's actually handling the whole "period" thing like a pro.  She's got two under her belt now (PUN hahahaha), and I could almost hear her saying "This ain't my first rodeo." When #2 showed up.  She rolls her eyes when I try to step in and says, "I know, Mom! You NEVER stop talking about it, so I KNOW!" I could be offended...but I take this as a compliment to my mothering :) my complete disregard for 'tact' seems to have made both of my girls very comfortable to talk about things like periods and anatomy and boys, etc! Go me!

I'm not saying we have it all figured out, but these are the types of moments I have been dreading, thinking for sure I would never know what to say or teach or how to help....and God is there, too.  Even in the awkwardness of puberty.  He's shown us BOTH great grace in this fun time that's full of changes!  And I am so grateful!  He loves us so much:)