Just a Mom Moment

My child, if your heart is wise, my own heart will rejoice!  Everything in me will celebrate when you speak what is right. The father of godly children has cause for joy...  What a pleasure to have children who are wise.  So give your father and mother joy!  May she who gave you birth be happy.  Proverbs 23:15-16, 24-25


A couple of weeks ago my daughter and I were talking about her day at work.  This has been an interesting experience for her, as after years of being homeschooled and very well "churched," she finds herself the only Christian at her place of employment.  I am thrilled at how she is stepping up, and though it means that going to work requires extra effort from her, she is standing firm on her principles. 


But as we were talking recently about her day, a topic came up that was at once both encouraging and disturbing.  Evidently, the subject of mother-daughter relationships had come up at work.  There was apparently much discussion of how the other female employees fight constantly with their mothers, and look on their parents with disdain.  When asked, "Well, you and your mom fight, don't you?" my daughter was beautifully confused at the concept.  Not that she didn't understand the idea, but it was just a very foreign thought.  It was something neither of us has ever really thought about.  Apparently another worker commented to the effect that, "Yeah, she'd probably kill you, huh?" as if the only reason a daughter would not fight with her mother would be out of fear.


Now, I would not suggest that we "have it all together" by any means.  But as I conversed with my daughter, one thing became very clear to me - I have taken for granted the blessing of my relationship with my children.  I truly cannot imagine one of my children acting out in defiance.  And I have not been able to get this out of my head since.  I am so incredibly blessed!


As we talked that day, all I could think of was the heartbreak the mothers of those other girls must experience.  And how broken our society is.  Among the group in the discussion, fighting was considered the norm, while a loving, respectful relationship was odd. 


My daughter and I don't fight.  We don't always agree, but we don't fight.  I mean, seriously - I don't even always agree with myself!  How could I possibly always agree with another person?!


But I am also not my daughter's best friend.  We enjoy doing things together.  We share a lot of the same interests.  We watch movies, play games, and really enjoy each other's company.  But we are not best friends.  I am her MOTHER.  She is my DAUGHTER.  That is so much better than a friendship!  And so much deeper.


It is my prayer that I will always enjoy such close relationship with my children.  I know that things will change as they grow older.  Change is the one constant in life, after all. 


Older, "wiser" friends used to tell me, "Just wait until your kids are teenagers - then you'll see!"  Well... I'm still waiting (and they are almost through being teenagers).  And what I've learned is this: it doesn't have to be that way.


So my encouragement today is a simple one: cherish the moments with the family God has given you.  Whatever stage of life your children are in - enjoy them! Invest in them! And by all means - PARENT them!  And in the midst of the struggles and the hard days that will surely come, LOVE them. 


It's not a complicated thought today, but it is what it is...


It's...


Just a thought...