Yesterday while at Mia's soccer game, a stranger tapped me on the shoulder and asked "is that your son?" as she pointed to my crazy Linc. I wondered if I should admit to mothering such an energetic ball and then I answered with confidence "yes!". She informed me that he was licking the dirty trash can. Oh, good to know, I thought. His defense was "I didn't lick it mom!I was about to though." I choose not to be embarrassed. Oh well. These moments happen to all of us all of the time! It's just that some of us are confident or stupid enough to admit it. Or how about the time our entire family went to the OB-GYN to hear a heartbeat of baby 4 and my daughter/son went into the restroom and dumped out the fresh urine sample that some poor woman had just squeezed out? She now had to do it again. Most kids ignore the little door in the wall of the restroom but not mine. They are curious and thought the little cup of urine needed to be touched and dumped. ewwww. Or the time my middle daughter pushed out an enormous amount of air from her bottom while in the yogurt shop and then belted out laughing as other moms stared in amazement at the volume of sound that came out of her little body. Maybe they were just disgusted.........I"m not sure but oh well. Growing up in a lower class neighborhood, I used to hear kids say "hells bells" in place of "oh well". In these moments I feel like yelling out "Hells Bells" to everyone staring at me!
I used to get caught up in these moments but I've learned to focus on the proud moments. For example, when my daughter attends a city-wide Girl Scout function and volunteers, along with her friend, to push a stranger around in a wheel chair (peer) cause no one else wants to be bothered with the inconvenience. My daughter was a hero in my eyes that day. Or the time my daughter told me about how much she loves the little special needs boy that she works with every other week and referred to him as her friend and not a 'special needs child'. I'm the goofball that calls him 'special needs'. She just sees him as a friend. She is my hero. Or the time my son told a friend of mine that her meal was the best meal he had ever eaten! It made her day and he didn't complain about the the things he didn't like but focused on the parts he enjoyed. He was my hero that day.
It's nice that my kids excel in sports and make all As in school but those are not the moments that melt my heart. I"m looking for character traits: compassion, integrity, responsibility, servant hood and so forth. I love to see my kids give away their treasures to other peers when they are visiting our home. I am also reminded daily that it is a miracle when my kids do these things. I can take little to no credit for such wondrous things.I am a parent full of flaws and daily ailments. God is good to come in and shape the hearts of my kids. All I can do is daily seek Him and beg for His Grace as I make many mistakes. I can also listen to Him each day and continue to grow myself as the kids grow along side of me.
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