If you are a mom, you are looking at these pics and probably being reminded of your own kids. Our kids want to do things that we do. The above pictures are just a small glimpse of that. The pattern works like this. They see you do something and they immediately want to try it. Right? Cooking, gardening, sewing, crafting, doing laundry, cleaning the house, baking, etc. I do believe that children want to learn those things, but more importantly they just want to be with us. Their mom. They want to be a part of what we are doing. Haven’t we all been in the kitchen when those little hands start creeping toward the mixing bowl.
They ask that 3 worded question. “Can I help?”
You know at that moment, that one choice always calls for more work on your part. You will have to use way more energy then you want to use…. and the mess. Oh the mess.
You see them grab the spoon and begin to stir. The muffin mix splatters against the wall. Then when that is cleaned up, they start pouring the muffin mix in the muffin pan. The pan has splattered mix as well. You smile because you know that this is teaching them more then just-baking muffins.
Sometimes though we feel like we have the right motives by letting them take part in whatever we are doing but our actions and our heart show something totally different.
Our children can tell though if we are letting them join us but are hating every minute of it. Do you get so wrapped up in everything going wrong that you aren’t able to enjoy just being with them?
We make it more about us and how this is messing up our plans. We remind them that we didn’t have to let them do “this” with us. We even bring it up to them when we feel like they need to be reminded of ALL that we do for them.
I’m reminded though that Christ never made it about him.
He always wanted to give the Glory to his Father and make His life about pointing others to him.
If I want to model after Christ in my mothering then I have to remind myself that it is not what I did for them but the heart I did it in that matters the most. I know that I am showing Christ-like parenting when I can choose to to show who God is in my actions. When I choose that, I am mothering out of love that is like Christ.