by Jess Connell · December 26, 2016
Every year I’m reminded…
“It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas,
…A pair of hop-along boots and a pistol that shoots Is the wish of Barney and Ben, Dolls that will talk and will go for a walk Is the hope of Janice and Jen,
And Mom and Dad can hardly wait for school to start again.”
I’ve gotta tell you, this song lyric irks me. I mean, it really really bugs me. It’s made me hate the song that I otherwise really like. Underlying it is the assumption that one can only take (at most!) a few weeks of their own children.
If that is the case… seriously? do people feel this way?… that is a pretty good indication:
- that your children need your guidance and input, OR
- that you need to grow in patience, forbearance, self-control, sacrificial love, and so on.
(Or both.)
And no, (even though we homeschool) I’m not talking about everyone needing to be homeschoolers. I’m talking about basic human decency and familial love.
I’m talking about parents who affectionately love their kids, with a long-term committed-to-their-good love, and kids who obey and respect their parents.
Put plainly: If you don’t like being around your kids, you’re in a God-ordained position to do something about that.
Gregg Harris said, “train them until you like them.”
(Read more on that point: “My Kids Don’t Listen to Me“)
It makes me sad that people spend their kids’ childhoods wishing their kids’ away, and then spend their kids’ adulthoods wishing their kids wanted to be nearer.
Maybe the two are related?
That’s all I’ve got today, folks.
I hope you enjoyed a great Christmas, and that, even amidst the HARD of togetherness, you’ll find heart-space to work toward joy and contentment with the people (big and small) that God has put in your life. ~Jess
Also? Check out these related podcasts:
Fight Isolation; Choose Family Togetherness // Mom On Purpose, episode 8:
Stay Connected as a Family // Mom On Purpose episode 9:
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Tags: Christmas with kidsfamily lifeholidaysrealistic expectationstogetherness