Mama, You Are The Heart Of the Home – 3

Today I’m reblogging one of my blogs… with a little editing. It may be the first time some of you may be reading it, so it should be an interesting read.

The following nursery rhyme is quite popular all over the world…”Five little monkeys jumping on the bed,
One fell down and bumped his head,
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said,
No more monkeys jumping on the bed!”  

There are five verses and each verse the monkeys become less and less as they fall off the bed.

Allow me to stretch my imagination a little as I swap the five little monkeys into kids.

Parenting is a job that can make the wisest person feel like a high school dropout, or make a saint feel like a sinner, or a non-drinker feel intoxicated. As much as we hate to admit it for fear of being ostracized…. Parenting is hard work, and it’s definitely for the strong at heart.

I’ve had my share of questioning my own parenting skills where sometimes it felt like I was on a winning streak…until a kid fell off and bumped her head and the doctor had to be called out…not once, but many times. When that happens … you seriously begin to second guess yourself and your competency.

Maybe the mother of the five little monkeys (kids) was frustrated, angry and feeling like her life was out of control as one monkey after the other was falling off the bed and bumping their head. It’s no mother’s dream to be calling the doctor on five different occasions…but life happens.

Did you notice that there was no mention of a father? So, mothers, if you have ever cried yourself to sleep because you felt incompetent…then CONGRATULATIONS, you are a great Mom! It’s all part of juggling the demands of the family.

What keeps us going as mothers when all we want to do is to escape the chaos? We are the heart of the home regardless of the dynamics of the family. Our role in the home is way too important to call in sick, to apply for time off, or to seek a replacement. Parenting is not the kind of job that you can ask for a sabbatical when you have five little monkeys.

Monkeys falling out of the bed is certainly a living nightmare. We all dream about having happy and well-adjusted kids… but life with kids teaches us difficult lessons at different stages, and sometimes many unplanned calls to the doctor. Every decision we make has a lasting effect on the entire family for the rest of their lives. There’s no part-time employment in parenting … it’s a full-time job from the moment the first little adorable angel graced us with their presence until mother takes her last breath. When we are in doubt about a decision it may be helpful to ask, “How will this decision affect my child or children in the next 5 or 10 years”?  

Good parents do everything with their children’s best interest at heart. Don’t worry that your children are not listening to you…be more aware that they are watching you, so stay consistent in faith. If they see bad…they become ten times worse …. if they see good…hopefully they stand a greater chance to do ten times better.

Psalms 127:1-2 says,

“If God doesn’t build the house,
the builders only build shacks.
If God doesn’t guard the city,
the night watchman might as well nap.
It’s useless to rise early and go to bed late,
and work your worried fingers to the bone.
Don’t you know he enjoys
giving rest to those he loves?”

1. Allow God to build the family
2. If God doesn’t guard the family, we might as well take a nap
3. God enjoys giving us rest. Don’t lose sleep and stop worrying over your children

When God is in control, He makes even your enemies to be at peace with you.