Mommy Monday

To borrow from a television commercial, being a mom is “the toughest job that you will ever love.” I find that more and more true each and every day. Trying to find that line between allowing them to assert their independence, while still trying to guide them is sometimes difficult. I am finding that this line is especially blurry concerning my almost 11-year old son. He has decided that he is grown-after all, he is a “pre-teen” now (or so he tells me every ten minutes). This “pre-teen” age means that he knows it all and understands it all, doesn’t it? Well, to him it may seem that way, but to me, he is still that 6lb 2oz baby boy that I brought home 11 years ago this month. He is still dependent upon me for everything-or so I think. I find that this stage is quite amusing and scary for me. I enjoy the fact that he is a bit independent, but if I sit still too long and think about it, the fear starts building up in me because I realize that he is growing up. Why?

The main reason is that I don’t want him to hurt. I don’t want him to make mistakes. I don’t want him to realize that life is hard and not fair. All of these things will happen regardless of how much I try to protect him, though, sooner or later. That is why his dad and I have to take time with him now and in the future to teach him what the Bible says about different things. We have to stress to him that the Bible is his guidebook and will give him direction for anything that he is facing. What would happen if this was not a priority with us? He would not be able to deal with his life in a righteous way. Life throws so many things at our children that we cannot even imagine or fathom. Things that I probably do not understand. By giving him the tools to find the solution through God’s Word, then I am giving him the tools for life. I thank God for giving J to us and our responsibility is to equip J to live and work for God. After all, J belonged to Him first!

Smiles and Loves! Janis