Crazy question...huh? I have been thinking A LOT lately just about life, my future plans, dreams, goals, etc, etc. And I keep coming back to my "Job" as a mother. I've had this "job" for a while now...I think it's the longest I've kept a "job". I had the store for 4 years, before that I just worked retail at Macy's and Dillard,'s...and worked with youth, etc, etc....but we are talking 7 years of being a "mom".
Now, let's talk about my educational background in parenting. I mean, I went to college, then to ministry training school, then to nursing school...but I didn't go to "parenting school". How strange. I mean, I had to go through 2.5/3 years of school to be a nurse. If you want to be a teacher at a school, well you have to have a degree, I'm pretty sure of it. If you want to be a doctor, I do think you have to spend a few years in med school. You can't even be a cashier at Macy's or Dillard's without sitting through a few "training" sessions. When I pass my NCLEX (because I so am going to pass), I will have to take Continuing Education Classes to maintain my license. Do you get where I'm going here??? Why is it that we will be paying school loans for the next no telling how long for Jer's "computer education" and we don't even think another thing about it. We get Master's Degrees, and whatever else can be obtained for our "normal" jobs, but when it comes to our MOST important job we will ever have, well, we invest very little into it? Okay, okay, I'm not saying that we need to get "degrees" to be a parent, lol....please for the love of everything, don't think I mean that. I am simply making the point that we USUALLY just have to "learn" along the way about parenting. Don't you agree?
Learning along the way can be VERY frustrating. Sometimes it's the best way to learn though. It doesn't matter how many times I read the book about inserting an IV, until I was in the ER with a man having a heart attack and doctors all around him and complete craziness going on and the nurse just hands me the stuff to start the IV and says, do this really quick...ummmm, can I say you learn very quickly how to do it, and it was so much better than the "book" version. It was the ONLY time I got an IV inserted on the first try....sad I know...I'll work on that. Anyway, my point here is...EVEN IF you had this MAJOR education on parenting BC (Before Children) would it be any easier??? You see, BC (Before Children) I had read almost ALL of Dr. James Dobsin's books on parenting. I was even a daily listener to his radio broadcast. If he recommended a book, I bought it...like the NEXT day, and had it read by the end of the week. I worked with youth, and I just knew that I would be a rockin' mother one day...I mean come on, I would so have it going on...I mean I looked at all these kids I was working with and thought...good grief, I need to teach these parents a thing or two. (Lord, again please forgive me for that...YIKES...soooo wrong).
Then the day arrives. You know...you become the "PARENT". Well, if you are a parent, then I am sure you don't even need me to blog any farther. You realize you know NOTHING....or am I the only one that feels that way? You are just thrown right in there and ready or not...the parenting has begun. Are you feeding them the right things, do you give them a pacifier, do you breastfeed or bottle feed, do you allow them to watch this show or that show, or T.V at all, do you send to private school, public, or homeschool. Is it possible to be consistent in a daily prayer time with them? Is it possible to be consistent in discipline? Do I yell too much...man, why did I yell? Do I allow them to date? What about their friends? What time is curfew? I believe it gets harder along the way.
So this was on my mind ALL day today...it's really actually been on my heart for a while over the last few weeks....but today the Lord just totally confirmed to me that I'm going in the right direction....You see, I'm on a mission. I'm on a mission to be a rockin' mom, an educated mom, and I'm pretty fired up about it. I'm not going to go enroll in psych classes (I've taken several actually), but I am going to try doing everything I can to be the BEST mother possible. I know when I had the store, I was always reading some type of dumb business magazine, or reading this article or that article about marketing or something like that...but I'm on a mission to study the Word and how it applies to parenting. I decided that today. Yep, watched two messages from LifeChurch.TV and have two more to go...the first message was focusing on the verse that the girls have been memorizing this week. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. THEN, get this....tonight's message at church...SHUT UP....on PARENTING. FOR THE LOVE...OKAY, I get it Lord. Thanks, because me and HIm so had a discussion today that He was going to have to clear some things up for me....Thanks Lord for taking care of that...I knew you would. ;)
I just want to encourage you...chances are about 90% that you are a FEMALE if you are reading this...(sorry Jer, I know you read it)...but you may or may not have kids...but can I tell you..YOU HAVE THE MOST AMAZING JOB on the face of the planet if you are a parent. Don't underestimate your importance. You are not perfect, yes, I am sure you are going to mess up...but the LORD has entrusted you with a VERY SPECIAL gift.
I don't have my notes on me from the message tonight, and I took two Tylenol PM, because my head was killing me tonight and we ran out of regular and I'm having a hard time keeping my eyes open right now...but basically, I just want you to know that I'm going to be posting TONS about this...I mean to the point of INSANITY....why? Because, it's something I'm passionate about right now...and it's been a while since I have had a STRONG STRONG STRONG passion for something that I want to apply to my life and help others apply to their own lives. I wrote down many many verses and will share with you tomorrow ASAP, or ASAIWU (as soon as I wake up). I hope you don't think I've just totally went off the deep end. Jer sure did after I was talking 90 miles an hour on the way home about this without taking a breath, and then being on the point of complete breakdown because I felt so passionately about this, I just want this to be a main focus in my life right now...
I would love to hear your thoughts on this...am I the only one who feels like they don't have it all together, but want to so badly??? Please, don't be a lurker today...I am passionate about this, and I want to hear your thoughts.
Hope you sleep great if you are reading this right after I hit send...but if you are reading in the day...well then, have the most amazing day ever!!!