More from my interview with the reporter from The National....a newspaper in the Middle East!
6. You see a lot in the media these days about women feeling overwhelmed by motherhood, either choosing not to have children because they want to pursue a career, or struggling to do both. As someone who has two small children, and also works as a writer, I can say personally that they are the best thing that ever happened to me, but motherhood is also the hardest thing I have ever taken on. How do you do it and stay so positive?
I haven’t always been so upbeat about parenting – I used to complain about my kids and wish for a Mom’s Night Out. Then when God changed my heart about the nature of having children, so did my attitude towards them. I grew up being told that children were a burden, expensive to raise, and that we should all make time for “me.” Those are all lies. Look at what God says about children:
Lo, children are a heritage of The Lord; and the fruit of the womb is His reward. Psalm 127:3
He settles the barren woman in her home as a happy mother of children. Praise the LORD. Psalm 113:9
Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;
your sons will be like olive shoots
around your table.
Thus is the man blessed
who fears the LORD. Psalm 128:3-4
Children's children are the crown of old men...; and the glory of children are their fathers. Proverbs 17:6
When I began to understand how God felt about children, my attitude about them changed, and now I’m glad and prefer to be here “stuck” at home with them all day, every day. John 15:13 says, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” God doesn’t teach that I need to make time for me. He says that I need to lay down my own wants and desires for those around me. Even my kids, of all people.
All this takes us back to self-discipline. If I can get myself to remember, then for the most part, I can make it through the hard days when the kids are being constantly disobedient, doing dumb stuff like lying about brushing their teeth, speaking harshly to their bros. and sisters…
Paul wrote, “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ…” Philippians 1:6
Have only read a bit into your page and am feeling already, blessed! Thank you! Found you through Christian Homeschooling Moms, and will add you to my list!
ReplyDeleteRead a little down to the last few posts, one question, ever tried Sonlight? I only ask as it sounds you spend alot of time "doing school" as well as "scheduling/planning".
Anyhow, was encouraged by your words generally on the blessing of children, and how God uses them! May you be blessed richly, for blessing others!
Amber Tatlow
Hi Amber. :-) Thanks for visiting and letting me know you were here. Do you have a blog? I would love to pay you a visit in return!
ReplyDeleteI actually do use Sonlight for Language Arts. Their history put us to sleep, so we now use the Guerber books from Nothing New Press as our spines, while taking advantage of the amazing reading list that are in the back. Such good books!
The reason I've been spending so much time in the evenings on school stuff is because I've been making a custom schedule for Science for my 8th grader. He is going through Apologia's General Science this year. Pretty soon I'll start doing the same schedul format for him for Physical Science. He is using the SL8 core this year - his first time on his own, in history and science. It's been a huge learning event for us this year! When I can get all my thoughts together about it, I plan to post about it.
My husband and I are also going through Cornerstone Curriculum's World View 1 curriculum. We will be using it next year with Ben and want to be a little more knowledgeable about it all before we jump into it with him. I have a friend whose blog is titled, "No Rest in Sight." Wish I had thought of that for my blog! LOL!
I'm looking forward to hearing from you again! <HUG>