Loving the Little Years

Started reading a book this week titled: Loving the Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenches.
She has some good encouragement for mothers with young children. Something I found challenging was to think of childrearing as a pastoral pursuit.

" Christian childrearing is a pastoral pursuit, not an organizational challenge. The more children you have, the more you need to be pastorally minded. Look to each of their souls and their needs. If you are focused on upkeep of the house and the schedule, as long as your child is not interrupting that, you don't worry about it. If you are being a parent who is pastorally minded, you will stop whatever it is that you are doing to go see how your daughter is up in her bedroom. Has she been quiet lately? Was that a faint door-slam you heard in the distance? Find out about that. Did one of your kids seem a touch off as they went outside to sit in a tree? Don't let that go. Be a pastor to your children. Study them. Seek them out. Sacrifice the thing you were doing to work through minor emotional issues.

While your children are little, cultivate an attitude of sacrifice. Sacrifice your peace for their fun, your clean kitchen floor for their help cracking eggs, your quiet moment for their long retelling of a dream that a friend of theirs allegedly had. Prioritize your children far and away above the other work you need to get done. They are the only part of your work that really matters."

Much easier said then done...especially for this type-A mom. I like piles put away, clean floors, being on time, etc. It is a struggle for me to stop what I'm doing to listen to a long made-up story when I have fifteen things still to accomplish. Great reminder for me to slow down and enjoy just being with my "littles"!

Future gamer? Don't think I can handle two of them!

Roller skating. Hmmm...don't know what the costume is.