blogger mom

From the moment our babies are born, we are given full responsibility for their well being.  Their very survival depends on us, their mothers.  Each moment of their little lives involves us.  Then something slowly changes.  They stake claim to little pieces of their independence and we start to hear phrases like, "I do it myself" more and more often.  I think the tendency is to smile and ignore these phrases from our toddlers because they are still practically helpless without help from mommy.  Maybe we should pay more attention, maybe then it would be easier to understand their claims on their independence later as pre-teens.

Maybe the real issue is that we need to understand that from the moment our babies are born they really belong to someone else, someone much bigger.  They are on loan, just a beautiful gift we borrow for a short moment in time.  They seem so dependent on us, our role seems so huge, that we forget they actually belong to Him.

God has been using the little things teach me this lesson lately.  Last year Riley played for a travel team and was coached by a NCAA collegiate coach.  We were so excited about this opportunity.  By the end of the season, Riley was playing worse than at the beginning of the year.  His self confidence took a big hit.  He wasn't invited to play on this team this year, and if I'm really honest, he took this news better than his mother.  He asked to play at the YMCA. He needed a break from the stress.  He was placed on 3rd-5th grade team and several of the kids literally couldn't dribble the ball.  I left his first practice determined to "fix" this for him.  I was stopped in my tracks.  He was happy, he wanted to play on this team.  He felt good about himself.  The pieces continued to unfold in a spectacular way over the next few weeks.  He was asked by the director of the Y to play on their 6-8th grade team as well, although he is only in 5th grade.  The director coaches this team and something wonderful has happened.  He BELIEVES in my kid and in turn, Riley now BELIEVES in himself again.  I think he is actually getting better coaching now than when he played with a collegiate coach.  He looked at Riley at one of the very first practices and said, "You will be good as soon as you believe that you are good." Possible the wisest thing a coach has ever said to my child.  I was ready to pull him out and find a way to fix this all for Riley.  At some point in time I hope I learn that God cares about the little things too and He's already got things under control.  He's continually reminding me lately that He loves my children more than I could even imagine.  May I remember these lessons when next school years rolls around...my Riley starts middle school, Evan will be in all day school for the first time, and sister starts preschool.