Natural Children

Dear God, make me love my child's natural response to life.

This was the "Prayer from a Mother's Heart" in my MOPS email today.

Here I sit...staring at my kids as one is watching a video and the other is testing his boundaries with markers....(sigh). "My child's natural response to life". I don't even have to think about what this means. I know what it means...it means that my daughter doesn't know that she shouldn't bite her toenails... she also doesn't know that she shouldn't eat what she finds in there...(we have since enlightened her on that subject). Those are just natural things...

Natural isn't the same as socially appropriate. This is what I need to remember. Of course your child is going to stick the smallest, shinyist object into the outlet on the wall.... that is what should be. Each hole has a cog to go in it. That is natural. Doors must be closed. Not with as much abandon as my son closes them, but needless to say.... Lights must be turned off. That is natural.

When my daughter cries uncontrollably when her 6 month old cousin is left alone in the living room (we were in the kitchen) because she thinks that we left her and forgot about her... that is natural. It broke my heart... but how pleasing it was to hear that your child's heart broke for another child.

When my son throws a wall-eyed fit when his shoes come untied....that is natural (maybe a hair neurotic, but that is for another time).

It will take specific prayer to love my kids natural responses to life.... I, in my war-torn life that I have led so far, don't understand these simplicities anymore... oh to have the innocence of a child again. But I guess it is my turn to be the parent. Lord, let me enjoy my kids natural responses to life.