Mama Bear and Her Girls

Day 4
(I've decided that during the course of my Revising Home series, Fridays are being dubbed Family Friday, where revising family will be the focus.)

The day we brought my oldest daughter home from the hospital, seven years ago now, I remember thinking, Now we are a family. Never has one single event made me more excited, scared, and exhausted all at one time.  

If I'm gut level honest, I was a bit freaked out because I was absolutely terrified that I was really going to mess up the whole mommy thing.  I mean, what if I did a bad job and screwed up my kid?  What if I didn't say or do the right things? 

Another kid and a few years later, I've learned to go a little easier on myself and to show myself a little grace.  After all, as Lisa Terkeurst says, bad moments don't make bad mamas.  

But I still have those days where we are busy, and I feel like I am being stretched and pulled like taffy.  I mean, if I were a Laffy Taffy, the flavor I would definitely be is bananas! We have days where we are all going in different directions, have a lot of homework, we are out of milk, or I forgot to do something the hubs asked me to do. Those are the days when I might snap at my girls. Or yell. Or retreat.  At the end of those days, I still think, Man, I really blew it today.  

As I am revising home this month, I'm taking a long, hard look at myself as a mom.  Not just in physical things like how our home looks or how my girls are provided for, but right down to the heart of the matter. Deep down inside where my girls need me to connect with them, where they need me to point them to The One who is greater!  

I want to be intentional in building a relationship with my girls.  If I'm not intentional about it, then it won't happen.  There is always other "stuff" that will inevitably get in the way. 

I want to be intentional about taking time to enjoy them.  When we get home from school, I am terrible about becoming a drill sergeant. "Eat a snack! Do your homework! Clean your room!  Eat your dinner!  Take a bath! Go to bed!" I need to take advantage of the precious time I have with them and enjoy them now.   

I want to be intentional about teaching them about God and what we believe.  There again, it is so easy for that to get pushed to the background and other things take priority. It's easy to think that it is the church's responsibility, but it's not, it's MINE.

We only have a precious few years while our children are in our homes.  I want those years to count for my girls.  I want them to learn invaluable lessons from me and their daddy.  I want them to be prepared for the big wide world and for the things God has in store for them.  

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I'm so thankful that I get to be their mom! And this month, as I am revising home, I am being more intentional about how I am as their mother.  

What things do you try to be intentional about with your children?