This could be because I know I have nothing very interesting to write about.
Or it could be because the frenetic pace of summer "break" is wearing me out.
On the other hand, it could be because I really do have horribly disorganized sock drawers. (True statement)
It could be...but it isn't. The truth is that I have been feeling the weight of the sermon I am "translating" and it hurts. And I'm tired of hurting in this area, so I just stopped writing.
I have been hit with a bad case of "mother-guilt" this summer.
In case any of you are wondering if you also have it, the symptoms are diffuse feelings of inadequacy, periods of second-guessing and over-analyzing, usually followed by uncontrollable urges to compare oneself to other mothers who are "doing it better".
Advanced cases are characterized by random weepiness (for example, crying at the gas station pump or while feeding the cat) and by frequent chocolate binges. Onset can be sudden and triggers may vary widely from person to person.
Aggressive treatment is recommended and should include uninterrupted prayer (from other people since affected individuals are usually interrupted. Often. Even in the middle of the night. Even when they try to hide in the bathroom, very quietly without breathing) and prolonged Bible study.
Other treatment options include firm scoldings from friends (although friends are often unwilling to risk their lives in this manner), firm scoldings from random bloggers, magazine articles, or Facebook posts (safer), effusive, unsolicited praise from friends and family (understandably rare--and the effects wear off quickly), chocolate (caution! side effects include acne and muffin tops--which can lead to acute financial and psychological trauma).
Less effective therapies (not studied or endorsed by any of the leading medical journals--nor by any of the lagging medical journals-- nor by practitioners of traditional medicine, homeopathic medicine, chiropractic medicine, acupuncture, hypnotherapy, Feng shui, rolfing, Ayurveda, massage, Gua Sha, meditation, Qigong, reflexology, voodoo, the National Ear Candling Association, or the Vancouver Association of Pranic Healers--nor by anyone, really) include the following:
--Pretending to be asleep for two months
--Moving to Waikiki (not covered by most insurance plans)
--Humming with your fingers in your ears and your eyes closed whenever people are around
Yes, thank you for asking, I am undergoing treatment for my condition under the careful supervision of my doctor (who, conveniently, is also my husband) and early reports are promising!
Fewer pity parties, a reduction in panicky phone calls to Jamey's office during working hours, occasional smiles that don't look like grimaces, a joke or two sprinkled into daily interactions--in short, the prognosis looks good!
So I am cracking open "Mothers of the Good and Wise", repeating to myself that even if I am currently only a "Mother of the Raucous and Unpredictable", at least I have a goal in mind, a game plan, and a very big God.
Part 6 commences,
"It is of great importance that you begin the training of your children early." One of the biggest lies of motherhood is that the first two or three years of a child's life are "freebies". The bunchkin gets to sit around and look cute, and you get to adore every little thing he does--all the while rearranging your world to create his maximum happiness.
Wrong! These are some of the most important years! Your child's character for ETERNITY may take its color and complexion from the impressions made, and the principles formed, the expectations laid down, and your reactions to his actions in those early years.
Long before your child can speak, he is ready for moral training--and he will have it, one way or the other. We frequently hear mothers say, "You can't spoil a baby" or "He's too young to know any different," but a child that is old enough to know what he is expected to do (or not do) is old enough to be taught to obey.
The mother who acts on the maxim that "children should have their own way for a certain number of years" (or even months) will find that Junior was every bit ready to learn that lesson--and act on it at the expense of his parents and everyone else--for years to come.
When I speak of "early training", I am not referring to intellectual, but rather to moral training. Ironically, intellectual training is often started way too soon, while the other (and more important) type is neglected--although moral training is what infants are most capable of absorbing.
Again, I implore you (love the 19th century flair!), "bend the twig while it is yet tender; not only is it then most easily bent, but it is most likely to retain the form you give it."
********************
Caveat: For those of us who either
a) did not start requiring obedience of our children at a young age, or
b) adopted or fostered children who spent the first 3 to 5 years (or more) of their lives living without appropriate boundaries, I want to offer this encouragement--it is not hopeless!
We may have a longer road ahead of us that those who consistently train up their children from infancy, but with patience, time, prayer, love, and endurance, progress can be made.
We know we are working toward the goal of helping our little ones to understand how to submit to loving authority so that they will desire to submit to God.
We know that our goal aligns with the will of God, and so we know that we have God's help and blessing in our task. Do not despair! Do not give up!
Proverbs 22:6
"Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.
1 John 5:14-15
"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him."
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