Parenting advice for "Bigs"

My dear husband changed the picture for this site and I now get to introduce you to my chicken pox scars.

I feel like I need that rearview mirror warning on cars (Things on my face are closer than they appear in real life.)

You're welcome. (smile)

Hey friends.

Panera and I greet you from Northeast Ohio, where Spring is vying for power and where I am now thrilled to announce that it is my BIRTHDAY month.

I'll be accepting packages all month long, thankyouverymuch.

I usually feel badly for my dear husband and family because my birthday is so close to Mother's Day, but this year my New Year's resolution is to free myself of that kind of grief.

Panera is in rare form today where talk of tax returns floats heavy in the air and the cinnamon crunch bagel reminds me that God has truly given us all things that pertain to life.....

I mean have YOU ever seen someone sad eating a cinnamon crunch bagel?

Add the Honey Walnut cream cheese and you just may find yourself taken up into the third heaven.

I wish I could spearhead a "Cinnamon Crunch Bagel" ministry for weary Ladies.

Perhaps in the future.....

My husband, number 5 and I had the amazing opportunity to visit two dear missionary families our church supports in Ireland and count it as a "Senior Trip" with a jaunt to Paris, France in between visits.

I mean.

Just writing that is surreal.

This was the first time we've had a tag-a-long for an overseas trip and it was so fun to watch these countries come to life in her eyes.

I did the proverbial parenting thing trying to prepare her for public transportation, social oddities, language barriers and even how to hide being American.

And in full senior fashion she needed NONE of my help.

The one who actually got her arm AND FACE stuck in the automatic turnstile when her Metro card was rejected was none other than "moi."

She's smart as a whip and I smiled when she said she wanted to remember everything but she just couldn't take it all in.

It was just too overwhelmingly wonderful.

THAT, I told her, in no uncertain terms, is how it feels to serve the Lord.

She smothered, (er, I mean) hugged missionary kids, helped with all kinds of tasks with a contagious smile and tag-team encouraged with me.

THIS has been the biggest blessing in this season of bigs getting too big for their britches.

This blessing of "tag-team encouraging" has been a spontaneous blessing on mission fields, standing in living rooms and kitchens and even here at home in all kinds of ways- at ladies meetings where they have to endure their mother's antics again and again, conferences we attend as a family and in our own spaces when the Lord brings someone our way.

It just kinda happens where we rally together nodding, back rubbing, smiling, sharing how the Lord has grown each of us in our walk with Him- what we are learning about him and his love- and encouraging together.

I've not read about this in any parenting book so I'm putting it here so you Mommas with "Littles" as I used to call our brood, will know that this is coming down the pike.

It's pretty much awesomesauce.

I am reminded to soak every inch of this season up with my "Bigs."

And it reminds me why I kept them alive when they were little and drove me up the wall.

Being one who loves all kinds of advice about anything and everything, I was all ears when an interviewer asked a famous Mom what her best piece of advice was for raising adults.

Without batting an eye she said, "When you want to kill them, hug them."

I must have laughed right out loud.

I laughed and pondered and realized that she was just reiterating I Peter 4:8- "And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins."

Can you imagine if this caught on in the Middle East?

This Momma was wise beyond her years and I was super thankful her words came at the very moment they did.

Watching your kids grow means simultaneously watching your nerves fray.

And Moms-of-many can find themselves just about done in by the time each of their kids learns to use the bathroom, the car and the bank themselves.

This advice is my new favorite piece of gold to carry around with me in my pocket.

Going against what your flesh wants to do is always difficult, always right and always best.

And sometimes to our shame we love those laziest who know us best.

I say let's change that, shall we?

Here's the thing,

The laundry will still have someone's sock and undershirt that no one wants to claim and so it will cycle through the laundry room more times than you can count,

Ants will continue to pop up in hoards and freak kids out because for goodness sake they won't stop eating pretzels in bed at night,

You will still receive a million texts to move money from one of your kid's accounts to another because you still have the long arm of the law that says you must save some money for college,

You will reach for Oreos only to find that some super-sleuth finally found out you hid them with the pasta and left you a few as a consolation prize,

Only to realize that you cannot accompany them with milk because there is none.

There will be too many misunderstandings, voice inflections, work pick-ups, drop offs and trips to the gas station with no fumes even registering on the gauge, to count.

And you will pull them in for a hug and resist the desire to ask them when they last washed their hair.

Yes, you will resist that because that moment is reserved to hug it out and trust God for the growing in you both.

I mean! More on this trip and what I gleaned to come!