Do you do this too? Pick up little choking hazards off the floor throughout the day, empty your pockets at night, and attempt to return all the miniature items to their designated places?
It's one of the many ways we moms tie up the loose ends of one day before another one begins. We go through emails, reply if needed, add events to the family calendar, make out grocery and to-do lists, and prepare for the next day. Sometimes, how we end the day is as important as how we begin it.
But there are other loose ends, less tangible. Angy words spoken, praise unexpressed, hugs and cuddles we were too busy to give. In the winter months we like to have prayer and reading time in the big parental bed so we can cuddle close and tie up the emotional loose ends of the day. Apologize for flipping out over little things, praise them for jobs well done, or little sacrifices noticed. Tell them how precious they are and how glad I am to be their mom. Hug and squeeze them and appreciate who they are right now and the person God is forming them to be.
Little Pear is a perfect first read-aloud chapter book for many little ones. As I began the first chapter last night with my five year old, this passage jumped out at me:
Little Pear was a mischievous child. His sisters said he was naughty. His father said he was naughty and would cry, "Ay-ah! What a bad boy you are!" But his mother said, "He is very little; when he gets bigger he will be good; you wait and see. It doesn't matter if he is naughty now, sometimes!" And they all loved Little Pear very much.
Young children (and older ones too) will be naughty, or just forgetful and even neglectful. They will lack self-control and make poor choices. They will break things and you will have to spend hundreds of dollars replacing and repairing them. But they are not out to get you. Don't let it break your heart now - rise above it, keep a level head and raise them with love. We must try not to break their hearts with our frustration and disappointment, and {God willing} they will not break our hearts when they grow up.
This is a difficult time of year with cold and snow and gray skies day after day. Try to keep the atmosphere of your home sunny with your disposition, music, and flexibility. Most of all - keep tying up your loose ends at the end of the day - the tangible and intangible - and when your children get bigger they will be good.
In the meantime, love them very much.
