Potty Mouth, Jr.

When I was in third grade, I got in trouble for saying “crap”. Well, I got in trouble for a lot of things. Saying crap was just one of the many.

I still like the word. I’m a crapsayer. I just am. Perhaps it’s because I’ve been saying it since the third grade. Yeah, that’s probably it.

Anyway. I got in trouble. My mom said that I wasn’t allowed to say crap until I was 10 or something like that. I don’t remember how long she said I was supposed to wait, because I went right on saying it. Just not around the house. Classy, right?

You know how, when you’re young and misbehaving, parents like to tell you that they hope your kids will be JUST LIKE YOU? I think you see where this is going.

Yesterday, Parker got in trouble at school. For using inappropriate language. Only he didn’t just say it. He wrote it down.



Yuck.

I was glad that he told me about this in the car, because I am infinitely immature, and laugh at inappropriate times. (Particularly when disciplining my children.) I think maybe I hid my smile and stifled my laughter pretty well. Maybe. It just shocked me to hear my sweet baby, in his little Mickey Mouse voice, say “You suck.”

Like I said, at least we were in the car and I was facing the road and not the backseat. Had we been face to face, the weight of the situation would have been completely lost because of my inability to hold myself together.

I laugh, because that’s my reaction to things. I can’t help it. It just comes out. But seriously, people. It hurt my soul to know that my sweet little Parker would say something so nasty to another little person. Bleh.

Now here’s where I got just plain mad. Kids learn the words that are spoken to them or that they have heard spoken to others. The domino effect on this is devastating. You may be asking, “Where does a seven year old learn such a phrase?” At least, that’s what I was asking. Who out there is telling my little baby that he sucks? I’m sorry to say that he picked it up from Jackson. And where does a nine year old learn such a phrase? From jerks at school. And now, my kids are the jerks at school, spouting foul language.

Great.

But I have hope. Because of the role of Christ in their lives, my kids are far better people than I was in elementary school. Hopefully the talk we had about this yesterday will take hold in their hearts, and they won’t say stuff like this anymore. Not at home or at school or anywhere.

At least not until they’re 10 or whatever.

Loaves, Fish, Paint, and Paper

I just read this post from Andy, about our sorry attempts to put God in a box. And that got me thinking… Do I do that? Do I try to put God in a box? And I decided that No, I Don’t. I have a different problem. I see God AS the Box, and I put limits on what He would allow inside. Health, Relationships, Education = IN. Bugs, Laundry, Fantasy Football = OUT.

For example:

The last couple of weeks of my life have been wild with activity. Among other things, I’ve been working with a team of fellow parents to build a homecoming parade float. A fantastic parade float, bearing the name of our children’s elementary school. It was pretty awesome. And if I do say so, it was the best float in the parade.

Anyway.

On one of our workdays, when we were trying to figure out if we had what we needed to do all that we wanted to do, my friend Christy just stopped and prayed. “Please, Lord, let us have enough. Multiply our supplies like the loaves and the fishes.” And I just kind of smirked and shook my head. I had been praying for other aspects of this project, but supplies? That’s sweet, Christy, but I’m not sure God really cares about whether or not we have enough paper, paint, and salvaged scraps of wood.

But He Does.

We did the math. There shouldn’t have been enough paper to cover everything we wanted to cover. And I know how much paint was in that bucket. It wasn’t enough. But when our team put it all together, it worked out. There were mere inches of paper left over, and just a smidge of paint left in the can. There was enough, and just a tiny bit more. When the ladies told me that they were done painting, I turned to Christy and with great surprise (and yet, none at all) I said, “You were right. He cares about our little parade float. Here are your loaves and fishes.”

God cares about the silly little things in my life. Maybe because He cares about me. Or maybe He really likes a good parade float. Either way, God blessed me through this experience.

For me this was a revelation but, as I write this, I can't help but think that it all sounds kind of stupid. I’m sure it doesn’t mean much to anyone who wasn’t involved, and maybe not even them.

Then again, who am I to decide what others do or don’t care about?

And just in case you want to see it, here's the float:



See? I told you it was awesome.

It's a Spirit of Self-Control, Not Self-Righteousness.

I’m not a particularly political person. I don’t go to rallies or participate in heated debates. I’m not getting my panties in a wad over the current healthcare issue, or demanding immediate resolution to our nation’s economic crisis. It is what it is, people. Government can’t fix everything.

Not even if we were served by the administration that you WISH had been elected.

I didn’t vote for President Obama. I was disappointed at the election’s results, but the fact remains. He is the leader of our nation and as Americans, and especially as Christians, we are called to support him. Let me just say, I am not in favor of blindly following anyone. Those who know me know that I tend to have questions. It’s not necessarily driven by doubt, but I typically have questions for those in leadership. And if a leader is a true leader, they can handle answering a few questions from little ol’ me.

Last night at a school parent meeting, I learned that President Obama is going to address America’s school children next Tuesday, September 8th at 11am Central Time. I was a little surprised, but not shocked. Fellow parents, it’s not a scandal. I’m pretty sure he is not going for mass brainwashing. He’s the President. He’s facing the sad reality of our nation’s terrible drop-out rate, and he’s going straight to the source. The kids.

Why are conservatives so upset? Because you want your children to retain the right to drop out mid-way through their education? Trust me… they’ll still drop out if you let them.

Seriously though. What are you teaching your children by resisting the broadcast of this speech? One parent compared this impending address to Adolph Hitler’s propaganda. Really? Hitler? Really.

There were several parents at last night’s meeting who declared that they would be removing their children from school during the address. I doubt they’ll back it up, but even if they do… They’re only inviting trouble down the road. These parents will be teaching their children that, if they don’t want to listen to a person of authority, they should just walk away. Or plug their ears. Peaceful protest? Perhaps. But it seems more like defiance to me.

And what will happen later, when YOU are the authority figure that your child doesn’t want to hear? When they walk away or block out your voice, will you smile and say “Aww, look at that! Look at my little conscientious objector. I’m so proud!”? I don’t think so.

I am looking forward to next Tuesday with this in mind:

For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-control.
2 Timothy 1:7

What is there to fear? Nothing can stand against God. I have to trust that God has ordained those who come into power. I am praying for President Obama, that his time in office will be purposeful, that his leadership will be respectable, and right now I am praying that his speech on Tuesday will be pleasing to God. Not pleasing to me. Not pleasing to you. Pleasing to GOD.

I plan to lean on Him, and fully invoke this spirit of power, love, and self-control as I talk with my children about President Obama’s address. Ultimately, I wield far more power over my children than any president. My words and actions have a much greater personal impact on them. I want to show my children a broad display of love and grace in this and all circumstances. I commit to exercise self-control as we speak about our great country, her leader, and his authority. Whether or not I agree with his words, he has authority here.

As my children view President Obama’s address in their classrooms, I plan to be informed. I will be watching the speech here on my home computer. I would encourage all other parents to do the same.

Also, read up on what has been communicated to your child’s school:
• Letter to school principals
• Activities for Grades PreK-6 [PDF, 64K]
• Activities for Grades 7-12 [PDF, 108K]

I hope that this can be a beneficial experience for our nation’s children, in which they find encouragement and strength. I hope that this can be equally positive for our nation’s adults, that we embrace this opportunity to partner with our government for the sake of our children’s success.

I know this is a hot topic, and you want to sound off. Please comment. Share your thoughts and perspective!

I'm on Vacation

This time of year, people frequently ask the question, “Are you planning a vacation this summer?” Well, we aren’t planning to travel, but I’m on vacation already.

Vacation is defined as a respite or a time of respite from something. An intermission.

School is out. All of my volunteer responsibilities at my local Elementary are suspended for the next eighty-five days. My boys have completed their respective grade levels, and are intellectually more than ready for next year’s beginning. We’re officially on vacation.

I like that definition. I am hoping for this summer vacation to be all of those things. Respite. Rest. Relief. I loved my time spent working in and for the school, don’t get me wrong. And both of my boys are perfectly capable of succeeding educationally. They are geniuses, if you ask me. But the daily grind and the teachers’ mad dash, the race to the finish, had gotten to us all. I think we were all thankful that yesterday, the last day of the school year, finally passed. Now summer is here!

The children know that I have plans for them. They know that they’ll practice math and do lots of reading. They know that some of my plans include house cleaning and weed pulling and poop scooping. But they’re still excited. They’re excited because they also know that my plans are heavily laden with library lurking and movie watching and water splashing.

Maybe I don’t want this summer to be just an intermission. I don’t want to go back to an overly demanding lifestyle the next time school starts. Intermission implies a return to the programming already in progress. No, that’s not what I’m looking for.

I have decided that, starting this summer - right now – our family is going to make some changes. The boys will hear “yes” more than “no.” They are going to work harder than usual, and will in turn have opportunities to play harder than usual. They are set up for success, with our expectations literally in writing on the wall. Any moment can be a teachable one… the lesson doesn’t have to be inspired by strife.

Our family is going to do more lounging, share more laughs, and as a result, enjoy more love. And who wouldn’t want a little more love?

Happy Summer, everyone!

Better than Busy

There are a lot of things going on in my little world. I don’t like to use the word “busy” because I feel that it implies stress and over-scheduling. No, the word busy does not do justice to this season of my life.

Instead, I like to say that my days are full. I don’t mind spending a season in this manner. I even enjoy it. I am blessed to be given opportunities to use my God-given abilities for His glory. I have even been asked to do a few things that are way outside of the boundaries of my comfort zone. Things that I would NOT list among my strengths. But I guess that's the point. I can't do any of this on my own.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
John 10:10

Jesus tells us that he has come to give us life. But not just life… life to the full.

I pray that my activities at the school are not only for the benefit of the school itself but that, in some way, a child or parent or staff member will see God working through me. That the glory will fall on Him. And because He is the one I work for, I know that it will. I also know that the areas where I volunteer at church are great movements of God. His work will be done with or without little me. I am humbly blessed to play a part.

I am thankful that God has allowed me to have this life. It is a pleasure to receive, but the greater joy is to give it right back.

Lunch at School

Ah, the school cafeteria… When I was a kid, we sat at long tables, sharing the attached bench seats. I loved the opportunity to have a guest join me for lunch at school. I loved it when anyone at my table had a guest. My favorite thing about it was that the guests would sit among the children and entertain us all. Grandparents’ Day provided a wide variety of personalities upon which to rest my attention. It was simply glorious.

Now as a parent, I find lunch with my children at school to be a completely different experience. The children still sit at long rectangular tables, but children with guests don’t usually get to sit with their friends and share this good fortune. Instead, the children and their guests are banished to the back of the cafeteria to sit at their choice of three round tables. I call these the “Prison Visitation” tables. The only way that you can avoid sitting at the PV tables is if they are already full of other prisoners and their visitors, which seems to be a rare occurrence. This is my fourth year to visit my little inmates at school, and not once have I been allowed to sit at a regular table with the kids. Not even once.

So today, I sat with Parker at the PV tables, looking out at the room full of kindergarten lunchers. For the first time, I noticed a special dynamic surrounding one kindergarten table in particular. Apparently, there is something really great about sitting in this specific location. Some kids, who are clearly the cool crowd, sit at this same table every day. The chairs may as well have their names engraved on the back. Classmates vie for the remaining seats, and it is apparently quite sad for a person to be turned away. What is this magical table of coolness and lunchtime joy? The peanut allergy table. But you don’t have to have a peanut allergy in order to sit there. You’re eligible if you bought your lunch from the school cafeteria because, as a rule, school provided lunches are peanut free. Today, two girls were forced to move from the allergy table so there would be enough room for the kids with actual allergies. They wore their saddest expressions as they picked up their lunch trays and relocated to the boring, regular, non-allergic table. You’d think someone just told them their chicken strips used to be cute, fluffy little baby chicks. Heartbreaking, isn’t it?

I never thought that having an allergy would be hailed as a status symbol, but I guess it kind of is. Well, in kindergarten anyway. While my children will never know the glory of having their own special seat at the peanut allergy table, I can rejoice in the fact that we always have the option of slapping together a pb&j and calling it a meal. Amen!