Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Favorite Moment
This morning was one of those magical summer mornings. The girls slept in, and we didn't finish breakfast until after 9. The weather was sunny, cool, no humidity, and perfect! We opened the windows and let in the fresh air. The girls got along, for the most part, and we had nothing to do but enjoy our day. They caught three little white butterflies and a baby toad. I wish every morning could go that well!
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Aubrey
"Why does your baby have one hand?"
"Her arm scares me."
"Will it grow in?"
"She can't do anything."
Those are comments we encountered yesterday at the park. We hear them just about everywhere we go. As a mom, those comments hurt me so much. I even find myself getting defensive and want to yell at the kids who have not been taught to be kind.
Yesterday, as we were being bombarded with questions, I made an effort to be honest with those kids, most of them only five or six years old. I told them God made her, and that she can do anything she wants to. One little boy nastily replied, "God doesn't make babies, moms do." I felt sorry for that kid. I realized that he probably hasn't been told about God. Maybe I planted a seed. Maybe he went home and asked his parents about it, and maybe they went to the Bible together and discovered that God does in fact make babies. But most likely that did not happen.
The girl who told me she was afraid of Aubrey's arm and wouldn't come near her is not the first child to act that way. I am getting so teary-eyed just remembering. Aubrey's biggest obstacle is definitely going to be people. She is going to have many encounters just like the one we had yesterday. She is still so innocent and mostly oblivious to what the kids are saying. But there will come a day...
I just want to keep her from all those hurtful comments and questions. That is my first instinct. I know I can't do that, however, so I am trying to teach her now how to handle it properly. She is going through a "me can't" phase. Yesterday, after those kids left, I taught her to say "I can do anything with God's help!" and I gave her lots of high-fives. I still haven't figured out the perfect thing to say to people, but I'm thinking that saying "she is wonderfully made, just like you, and can do anything she puts her mind to" might be a good option.
I hope she always knows how precious she is and that she is a "beautiful wonderful child of God." (I took that phrase from the author of the 4:8 Principle.)
"Her arm scares me."
"Will it grow in?"
"She can't do anything."
Those are comments we encountered yesterday at the park. We hear them just about everywhere we go. As a mom, those comments hurt me so much. I even find myself getting defensive and want to yell at the kids who have not been taught to be kind.
Yesterday, as we were being bombarded with questions, I made an effort to be honest with those kids, most of them only five or six years old. I told them God made her, and that she can do anything she wants to. One little boy nastily replied, "God doesn't make babies, moms do." I felt sorry for that kid. I realized that he probably hasn't been told about God. Maybe I planted a seed. Maybe he went home and asked his parents about it, and maybe they went to the Bible together and discovered that God does in fact make babies. But most likely that did not happen.
The girl who told me she was afraid of Aubrey's arm and wouldn't come near her is not the first child to act that way. I am getting so teary-eyed just remembering. Aubrey's biggest obstacle is definitely going to be people. She is going to have many encounters just like the one we had yesterday. She is still so innocent and mostly oblivious to what the kids are saying. But there will come a day...
I just want to keep her from all those hurtful comments and questions. That is my first instinct. I know I can't do that, however, so I am trying to teach her now how to handle it properly. She is going through a "me can't" phase. Yesterday, after those kids left, I taught her to say "I can do anything with God's help!" and I gave her lots of high-fives. I still haven't figured out the perfect thing to say to people, but I'm thinking that saying "she is wonderfully made, just like you, and can do anything she puts her mind to" might be a good option.
I hope she always knows how precious she is and that she is a "beautiful wonderful child of God." (I took that phrase from the author of the 4:8 Principle.)
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