A Good Report
Can you see the smile on my face? I wanted to take a second to give a good report, since it’s only during the low, trying, exhausting times that I usually write snippets about the kids. And because I’m wondering if maybe I wrote enough about how trying and exhausting Dutch was that enough of you started feeling sorry for me that perhaps you started praying! Because somebody must have been praying.
For about 48 hours I’ve had a glimpse of what it must be like to have an obedient child. 🙂 Seriously, I do not know what has come over my son. We had two days at home, Friday and Saturday–with Jeff home both days. I took half the day of both days to get away and study for Bible study, so Jeff stayed with the kids and had Daddy time. Perhaps that’s what did it, I don’t know. But by some miracle, Dutch has been an obedient, delightful dream! What happened? Seriously, Friday we had a great day. Saturday Jeff left mid-day for work/church and neither kid napped because they both had explode-everywhere poops, so I had both of them in the bathtub and was bracing myself for a long evening since we still had church that night. I had to get the church early to work on some stuff and I knew Sunday we had a ministry fair in the afternoon, so I was also bracing myself for a battle there as well.
But then…
While I printed and cut out women’s ministry postcards, Dutch sat quietly in his stroller in the church office, happily eating a sandwich and playing with his truck, for 20 minutes. What?!! He wasn’t even strapped in! Usually it’s like a WWF match just to keep him in that thing.
Then, when I finished he said cheerfully, “I want to go to my room now!” (his children’s church room). Ok getting him to go to children’s church usually is a agonizing 15 minute process with whining and bribing and clinging and fits and usually leaves me late for church. He climbed out of his stroller, marched into the room and began playing happily, not even noticing when I left. What?!!!
After church, he usually then throws a fit about leaving. This time he helped the nursery worker pick up the toys (?!!), then skipped right over to me, climbed into his stroller (that has never happened) and politely asked for some apple juice. (WHAT?!) Delirious with joy we went home and I got him his juice, we played and read books, and then he climbed obediently into bed without a fuss. We lay in bed and snuggled and then he prayed: “Dada God, Kant nu for my new blue curtains.” What?! A toddler son who notices the new blue curtains I bought from Pier 1? Was I in heaven?
Then today, he played with Heidi in the tub, played by himself for 30 minutes while I showered and got ready for church, climbed happily into the car, walked all by himself down the road and through the parking lot and up to his classroom, walking right beside the stroller without being asked. He still got shy when someone said hi to him, but hey–that’s ok for crying out loud! He went right up to his room and startedplaying happily again, then stayed up there with his babysitter while I did the ministry fair. When I brought him a pretzel to eat he gobbled it happily and didn’t even cry when I left. Then when I came back he ran and greeted me and jumped into my arms. Then he walked obediently all the way out of church and to the car (we had to park off church property since it was so packed). Climbed into the car obediently. We got home, he ate his snack, then without a fuss marched upstairs for his nap. And that’s where is now.
Can somebody tell me who kidnapped my son and gave me this new one?! 🙂 I’m joking, and I don’t mean to tell this like I’m bragging because guaranteed it’s not the result of something magic and chances are tomorrow we’ll be back to world war III. But I just felt like I had better be fair and give a good report, since usually I only write about the struggles. And I just wanted to thank God for a little glimpse of joy. I have never enjoyed Dutch so much in his almost 3 years of life. He’s been such a delight–even on the way home I told him how incredibly happy he was making mommy and he said, “I happy too!” (usually he only says “I not happy!”) Seriously pinching myself right now.
So for however long it lasts–a few more minutes or hopefully a tad longer, I am thankful for God for this little sweet period of joyful obedience from our son. I bet the joy God feels when we obey is just like this, only infinitely more. Makes me want to bless Him by joyfully obeying Him as well.
I just had to give a good report. And in all seriousness, if you did pray for us, thank you. You bless my life.
Bob the Builder Bedtime Prayers
Hi friends! Yes, I am still here. I have had 4-5 people recently ask me probing questions about the possibility of being too busy… Yes! I know. I know it is true. I feel like things are whirling right now–upcoming teaching, a ton of ministry commitments, you get the picture. It’s all wonderful, but I am considering re-reading that book on Margin that I did the series on last year. I need more Margin in my life!
Tonight’s sermon was awesome, and I really want to share it with you, so that will come tomorrow. The other reason I’ve been silent is that I’m studying to teach again for Bible study and I feel like all the life lessons God is showing me all center on humility (read: this has been a humiliating week) but I’m not ready to share yet. I’ll probably post notes and thoughts once the study is over.
The other reason is that I feel like on top of everything, the training of my son has been all-consuming. I feel like I need three of me just to devote to him full time. He is so wonderful and absolutely exhausting at the same time. How does he do it? High highs and low lows. Here’s tonight: It was the worst of the worst. He was good at church, but when we arrived home the moment we walked in the door it all went sour. He contradicted everything. Nothing was right. Everything was whine. Before Jeff even got home we’d already had several -panks. After the bath we’re going to bed and gets worse. Daddy takes over and I go to cool off I am so frustrated, and changing the sheets in our room just to give me something to do with my hands so I don’t tear out my hair and so I can pray. Then I begin mentally writing out an imaginary letter to Joy, explaining that I’m resigning from any involvement in women’s ministry because my son is obviously out of control and I’m therefore unfit to be used in any sort of ministry in any way shape or form.
Finally, Jeff comes in with the Daddy -pank, and by some miracle, Dutch finally breaks. He lies still while we put on jammies, and then we cuddle up under his blankets to read a book. After the Little Red Hen, I tell him I’m going to pray and he says he wants to too. I kiss his cheeks a thousand times and smell his precious puppy breath. How can be so sweet now? How can he go from monster to angel in 30 seconds? And then he prays(keep in mind he usually only thanks God for trucks and toys): “Dada God, kant nu for Daddy, and Mommy, and Dutch, and Heidi, and Luke (random! A friend of ours who Dutch adores). Dada God, please … me (that’s pretty accurate, I’d say. I usually want God to just please me too!). BOB THE BUILDER! Can we fix it?! BOB THE BUILDER! Yes we can!!” Yes, the prayer broke out in song praising Bob the Builder. Jeff and I were at that point hysterical, trying to muffle our laughs into the quilt. Dutch heard us, “What you doing?” he asks and burst out in laughter. As I leave the room he curls up without a fuss and settles in to sleep.
I tell you, this parenting stuff is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. And he’s only 2! No, I’m not stepping away from women’s ministry, although it’s funny after we walked downstairs Jeff said he was thinking the same thing–that he needed to resign from being a pastor if he can’t even control his 2-year-old son. Sheesh. I guess the lesson for us is we just have to stick with it until that little boy of ours breaks. His will is so strong, I guess we have to persevere and somehow hold out just one time more than he does. More grace, God!
And more later–just had to share Dutch’s prayer for the night. Gotta love Bob the Builder.