Inside the Pantheon at the tomb of the famours artist Raphael is The Madonna del Sasso, by Lorenzetto, a student of Raphael. Photo taken in 2011 by Martha Wiggins.
“And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous–to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” Luke 1:17
In a previous post about pets, I shared a favorite quote of mine by Alfred Lord Tennyson, “God gives us love. Something to love He lends us.” It doesn’t just apply to pets.
As a mother with three young children, I would sometimes lose patience with them. The more frazzled my nerves, the less patience I had. It didn’t mean I loved them any less. It just meant the 24/7 routine was taking its toll.
Whenever my same old methods weren’t working, I would search out new ways. I would read everything I could get my hands on about parenting, and I would pray to God to not let me become a screaming ninny! When I lost it, and found myself yelling at them in frustration, I would shake up the routine. We would head out to a local park or one of many parks in the surrounding communities. We came to know the parks quite well! If a park wasn’t possible, I would make funny face sandwiches and we would spread a quilt out under one of the trees in our own yard for a picnic. The point is that the routine had to be shaken up to get us out of the routine! And then, my frazzled nerves would turn into enjoyment of my children instead. It was a win/win situation.
Sometimes, however, a little righteous yelling is a good thing. I remember an incident that demonstrates this perfectly. My middle child was in kindergarten, attending a Catholic school. He had been learning about God both at home and at school. He was just smart enough to use his knowledge to his advantage, or so he thought. To this day I cannot remember what exactly he had done, but I was not a happy camper. I raised my voice and was letting him know I didn’t appreciate his behavior. He stood there looking up at me with those precious blue eyes and said, “Would God want you to be yelling at your son this way?” I nearly burst out laughing. After all, he was only five, and he was just so cute and innocent looking! But, I didn’t miss a beat. I said, “Yes, He would, because He gave you to me to raise for Him!” I went on to explain to him that, while I loved him, he was my responsibility, and that I must answer to God for how I raised him. He seemed to accept my answer. We hugged, and then I went into the next room so I could laugh! After that, I always expected him to grow up and become a lawyer. Instead, he is an accountant, but he sure can argue his point convincingly whenever its needed!
If you have the responsibility of some little one’s character development, don’t let them bully or shame you into letting them behave badly. But, do explain to them why you can’t let that happen, and pray to God. Pray for Him to guide you, and not let you become a screaming ninny. You’ll need all the help you can get!
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