The other day, I was washing some dishes and the kids were making me a bit crazy. I asked them to go to the playroom and said I would be there in a minute. Kenna, always annoyed to get the brush off, replied, “But I want to read this book NOW!”
I have no tolerance for demanding behavior. I gave her “the look” and said, “You need to go to the playroom and be patient, or I won’t be reading that book at all.”
With a sigh that sounded more like a 13-year-old than a 3-year-old, Kenna turned to go to the playroom. After a brief pause, however, she looked back at me and said, “OK. I’ll be patient. But, mommy, patience won’t make me happy.” She stood there looking confused, waiting for my solution to this problem.
Her statement and confusion said so much! Consider the three assumptions behind it:
- Happiness is important.
- There was a conflict between happiness and what I asked her to do.
- Because happiness is important, and my request was for something that would not produce happiness, she identified my request as a problem and felt the need to inform me that something was wrong.
Most of us are wired like Kenna to believe that happiness is an important goal and that what doesn’t make us happy is implicitly bad. Treating happiness as a priority in life, however, can lead to decisions that are contrary to Christian living.
I’m looking forward to celebrating Mother’s Day this weekend. If my husband has taken my many cues, he will have worked with the kids to craft some kind of memorable gift, probably involving a handprint or leaf. With any luck, he will also inform me that I can sleep in as long as I want while he takes care of the kids. With more luck, he’ll tell me I get to sleep in two mornings. (Emphasis added for Bryan’s benefit. He reads all my posts. Indirect spouse communication is a fringe benefit of having a blog.)
Last Sunday, we got home from a nice morning at church, and then all “hell” broke loose.
This is my fourth post in a series called “
This is National Infertility Awareness Week. I want to share my own story of infertility today. 
Hell is probably not at the top of your list of things to talk about with your kids.
I have been sick for two weeks. It’s just a common cold, but it won’t seem to go away. During that time, my typical faith “activities,” such as prayer and Bible study, have fallen by the wayside. Even though it’s due to my current preoccupation with extra sleep and blowing my nose (rather than any kind of faith crisis), I’m amazed at how fast I can get spiritually “out of shape.” I realized it this morning in the shower.
I started teaching my twins the alphabet when they turned two. Yes, I know that is a bit extreme. But, truth be told, I was a little bored with “non-productive” play time and wanted to do something even marginally goal-oriented with them. By the time they were two and a half, they both knew all their letters. (I’m both embarrassed and proud to say that my daughter could also name every state on the map at that age.) I have since slowed way down with the learning curve, but still spend a couple of afternoons per week teaching them “early preschool” lessons (they are now three).
(This is the first in what will be an ongoing series of “Can You Answer” questions on my blog. I hope to challenge us all to be prepared to articulate answers to very specific faith questions our kids may ask or that we should proactively pose.) 
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