For weeks I had it planned. When school started and Corey went back to work, we were going to go each Tuesday to our local library for "lap sit" (basically story/music/toddler time). And for weeks, this plan...in my head...ran completely smooth and Selah would enjoy every single minute of it. As you can imagine, things did not pan out quite that way.
It did not go smoothly at all, but I will tell you what, I sure did learn a lot. I learned that when Selah wakes up 2-hours earlier than her normal nap time, she must take a nap prior to doing whatever it is that your little heart desires regardless of how livid she may get. I also learned that Selah needs to have something like this; something that provides routine and structure.
My child is a firecracker. She has such a wonderful, lively spirit! And while I love her sense of adventure and persistence, she will need to learn how to reign in those emotions. With her passion, wrestles anger. And just as much as she shows affection, she can also throw a good fit...especially if her nap is long overdue.
She was overtired. She threw a (or more than one) fit. She was upset when she didn't get her own way. She didn't want to share. Let's be honest, besides church, Selah has never really been in a "structured" situation like this before. When we are at home, she pretty much free to roam the house (within reason and as long as she is safe). So right off the bat, I should have known that lap sit would already be a challenge and missing that nap killed us All excuses aside, it was the perfect opportunity to teach her how to behave appropriately and even though I had a meltdown deep inside, it all worked together for good because NOW is the time to make those corrections.
God speaks so clear and so simply to us in our everyday experiences. We just need to listen. And for me today, the lesson (as it usually is) was all about balance. We can be in one ditch or the other. We can't live a life of chaotic freedom without any structure at all. In the same sense, we can't live a life of rigidity and chains either. That mother, yeah...the one I turned into...was one that was simply trying to save face; one with every excuse in the book for "why". Well, God isn't that way. He won't make excuses for our mess, He won't give us what we want when we don't get our own way and He surely doesn't want us to raise the next generation in such a way either. I am sure you know grown adults who are still this way. I am sure there are areas in our own lives where we are this way ourselves! But we weren't called to be babies...we were called to be a mature people. Fully capable for purpose. The Bible says that foolishness is bound in the heart of a child...and while yes, Selah is just barely one...she still qualifies.
Proverbs 22:6 Point your kids in the right direction—when they’re old they won’t be lost.
That is why it is SO important as parents to be intentional; to lead by example. For us, this sense of routine, well...we need it. Ultimately, it will make a better parent out of me and I can alter my own actions so that I no longer turn into that mother... and Selah won't turn into that kid.