Parenting is Hard

Profound, I know.

But really, there is no such thing as coasting in this parenting gig. You always have to be on your toes, constantly instructing and discipling and encouraging.

Since bringing Luke home I've really struggled with consistency in disciplining the girls. I'll give them specific instructions on something I do or don't want them to do, then not pay attention to whether or not they actually follow through...and by the time I realized that they didn't throw away their Popsicle stick/put their plate in the dishwasher/pick up their Barbie dolls/you fill in the blank...I'm tired. And it feels easier at the time to just ignore it and pick up that Popsicle stick myself.

Except, it's not easier in the long run, because they figure out that I'm not paying that close of attention and not following through on the discipline and this leads to more disobedience, less respect, more problems in the long run. Which actually makes life more difficult.

The longer I live, the more I realize, no matter what you are doing, you have to put in the hard work now to reap the benefits later. You don't scatter seeds on your front lawn and expect a garden to grow. You have to till the ground. Plant at the optimal time. Weed. Water. Cultivate. SWEAT. You have to spend tedious hours doing the same things over and over. Pulling up those weeds, and then going back and pulling up some more when they pop up again. You can't sit back and watch, you have to get your hands dirty.

Augustine once said, "If you want to eat your BLT later, you must cultivate your tomato plants now."

Ok, I made that up.

But the principle is the same here. You can't expect to reap a harvest of tomatoes if you don't do the work of cultivating. Could you throw some seeds on your lawn and get some tomatoes? Maybe. Could you work hard at cultivating the seeds and still not produce any good fruit. Absolutely!

Of course I pray for the Holy Spirit to do His work in my children's hearts, but that doesn't mean I sit back and twiddle my thumbs waiting for Him to work. He has given me the responsibility of nurturing and training my children's hearts and of pointing them always, always to Him. I am working (hopefully) in conjunction with the Holy Spirit! 

Here, in this job. In the sweeping up of the toast crumbs for the millionth time. In the teaching how to fold washcloths and the supervising of the toy pick up. In the reminders to "speak sweet words to your sister." In the follow through - even when I'm exhausted - of the obedience of my children to my requests.

Don't give up.

Don't be lazy.

Do the hard things.

Be faithful.

That's all that He requires.

Till the ground, plant the seed, pull the weeds, and let the sun and rain do their work.

Do the work, let Him take care of the results.

Parenting is hard. But sometimes it's in the hard places that we see God most clearly.

Press on, Mamas!