Out of the Mouth of Babes

It’s been one of those days… please tell me you know the ones…took the circus crew to the pediatrician’s for my 3 yr old’s check up.  One would have thought by the amount of shrieking that took place in the hall that we were attempting to tie her down and give her 30 shots, when really we just wanted her to take her sandals off and stand on the scale.  From that humbling spectacle we were off to the grocery store.  I am sure your wondering why today of all days I decided to take the whole crew with me for a major stock up.  And the truth is, b/c I was desperate.    We’ve depleted the supplies… even those ones in the back of the cupboard that stay there month after month… and we have no free evenings in sight for me to divide and conquer, so forward we marched, baby strapped to me in the moby wrap, 3 yr old crying in the top seat of the cart and the other two jumping beans bouncing around the aisles talking a mile a minute at the top of their lungs.   Oh what fun!

Finally we emerged with a full cart to unload, load, unload, and put away… and as I did this, taking a break to nurse the baby, and then make lunch for the other 3, I was feeling my patience wearing thin.   I was tired.  My back hurt.  My ears were ringing.  I still have food to put away, laundry to put away, toys to pick up, phone calls to make, dinner to prep… you know the list… I sent an SOS (really just a whiny e-mail) to my husband while sticking a can of coke in the freezer to cool off for later. 

The baby started to cry in his swing and my son suggested that maybe he needed his diaper changed.  Good thought since it had been quite awhile since I’d done that.  I went to pick him up and as I bent down he stopped crying.

My son said, “Why are you always the magic trick?”

I told him I used to be his magic trick too.  As I walked down the hall to the nursery pondering the impact a mother can have on her kids and on how small a window of  time we have to make that impact. 

It was then that my son called out from the table, “Ya know mom, when your holding a small person, really your holding a big person, because you have no idea the plans God has for that life.”

Wowzers!  Talk about a zinger!  And yet so very true.  I have no idea the plans God has for their lives.  But they are big.  And what a humbling privilege it is to be their momma.

As they each rest in separate rooms for their quiet time and I soak in the quiet while sipping on my coke and nibbling on lunch, I am so thankful for the perspective God gave me today out of the mouth of my 6 yr old.