Humility and the fear of the Lord bring wealth and honor and life. Proverbs 22:4
Through the years I have experienced many humbling moments as a mother in training! Whether I fail to look my child's take-home folders for over a month and miss all of the school activities and conferences, or I put the wrong kid's birthdate down and that child is wished happy birthday on their sibling's birthday over the loud speaker, I try to tell myself that "Surely they understand!"
I have sent letters to the kids' teachers apologizing for the way they were dressed at school before. I have gone through seasons where I just couldn't get up in the morning because I was up all night with a new baby, or with three of the older kids. I let them fend for themselves in the morning, assuming they know the routine and it will all turn out well! WRONG! In the afternoon when they come home, I have caught Emily out of the corner of my eye walking through the door having seen something that didn't look right. It goes like this, "Emily! Come back here. You didn't wear that school, right? You didn't wear a black and white striped 80's style shirt with black jogging shorts with lace, gold strappy shoes with rhinestones and a red bow in your hair...right?" "Yes maam, I did!" The horror I feel when I realize that my child went to school looking like a clown. Do I feel bad for her? NO! I am horrified at what the teachers are thinking of ME! I know it's bad, but I'm just being honest. Then, one day Nathan came home and had on a blue plaid button up shirt with GREEN CAMO PANTS...I wanted to DIE! I have often sent notes to teachers explaining myself. They usually send back a note about their own experiences as a mother and all is well.
This most recent incident has to take the cake though. Yesterday, my boys begged me to take an MRE (meals ready to eat) to school for lunch. I thought it was a bad idea but they insisted it would be the coolest thing ever and I caved. Not realizing that I was sending my kids to school with MATCHES in their lunch! GAH! So I get an email from the teacher that Nathan was only eating the cookies out of his lunch because he didn't know what was in there. He told me the lunch monitor said "Don't ever bring one of those for lunch again. This is school, not the Army!" SHEESH!
So I admit, I have fed my child breakfast on a dirty high chair tray, taken them to Wal-Mart in pajamas, convinced myself my child was sniffling and needed Benadryl to sleep (once or twice...per child!) and I have put them to bed dirty in the clothing they wore that day. While you may think these things make me a "trashy" mom, it is the failures that others actually SEE that bother me the most. Is that bad? I guess there are reasons for norms and expectations in life and culture. It keeps us accountable for our actions and makes us more productive and successful parents. While, ultimately, God the Father is the ONLY one we should feel accountability to, it is the people and "traditions" He puts in our lives that keep us on track. Thank the Lord for GRACE!
