I've kept a sporadic journal of the cute things my kids say and do. But, often I find myself saying "I really need to write more consistently and capture ALL of these moments." Everyone keeps telling me, "Enjoy it now. They grow up fast". I've started reading some "mommy blogs" and I love seeing pictures and reading little moments that were captured in words. Then I think, "Why am I wasting my time reading about other people's lives. I should be chronicling my own family!" Omega asks me questions about when she was a baby and sadly I can't tell her a whole lot.
People sometimes call me and ask questions about potty training, throwing tantrums, and sleep irregularities. My memory is so fuzzy when it comes to some of those things. Either that, or I think I remember and wonder later if I'm over-generalizing or polarizing. "Boys are so much harder than girls" or "If only I were more consistent in the beginning...then I wouldn't be dealing with this now." I think that may be the case, but maybe I'm forgetting stuff or maybe my expectations are skewed and therefore my perceptions are not accurate.
I've been keeping a log of when my kids go to sleep and when they wake up. I think they get enough sleep, but I want to see if my perception matches with reality. There are other things too. I want to start keeping track of how often my kids fight and when they throw fits. I want to keep track of when I get snappy and arbitrary and how much time in the day I actually play with them.
I read a quote the other day in a book that I highly respect called Child Guidance which said, "The early training of children is a subject that all should carefully study. We need to make the education of our children a business, for their salvation depends largely upon the education given them in childhood" (Child Guidance, 27).
A business? When I think of business I think of being intentional, having a strategy, being organized, planning, executing and then evaluating. I think of research, skill, punctuality, management - all for one goal...profit. Now of course, the profit that comes from making the education of our children a business is not going to be monetary. The profit will be the good character that
they develop and seeing them in heaven. One of my favorite quotes from Child Guidance, actually one in which I've made a song out of is....(Post later - I can't find it right now)
When the judgment shall sit, and the books shall be opened; when the "well done" of the great Judge is pronounced, and the crown of immortal glory is placed upon the brow of the victor, many will raise their crowns in sight of the assembled universe and, pointing to their mother, say, "She made me all I am through the grace of God. Her instruction, her prayers, have been blessed to my eternal salvation." {CG 564.1}
So, I have always taken the education and training of my children seriously. But, I know there is room for improvement. So, may God's grace be sufficient for me today as I seek to live up to all the light that I have in regards to being a good mommy.
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