There are some moments of parenthood in which you are suddenly struck with the realization that there is no one more heroic to your child than you. There is no one they know who could come close to your genius, your humor, your success. I remember having those typical \u201cMy dad can beat up your dad\u201d conversations with my fellow 4-year-olds back in the day. To believe that there could be any father faster or smarter or more handsome than my own was beyond me.<\/p>\n
Of course, I know that I need to relish this time of my own perfection in my son\u2019s eyes. I know, after years of firsthand experience in the lives of teenagers, exactly what they think and say about their parents. It\u2019s a short jump from 3-year-old snuggles to 13-year-old eye rolls.<\/p>\n
So, today I will be thankful for this past Saturday night when, my son (who has had some trouble lately falling asleep\u2014too dark!\u2014too scary!\u2014too loud!), called me in again after I had kissed every stuffed animal (and plastic rocket) in his bed\u2026twice. I was fed up with his tears and told him it was time to stop crying for me. From then on, I said, if he needed to talk to somebody, it needed to be Jesus.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Jesus sleeps with me in my bed?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYep, and he helps you feel better when you\u2019re sad and protects you when you\u2019re scared.\u201d<\/p>\n
August thought for a moment and looked at me with utter earnestness: \u201cMommy, why aren\u2019t you Jesus?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I\u2019m not God.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy aren\u2019t you God?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I\u2019m just a mommy. I\u2019m just a person. I can\u2019t do the things God can do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hmmmmm. He still needed a few more hugs to be convinced that Jesus might be enough of a friend to fall asleep next to. Of course, a warm body would have been much easier to accept than a spiritual concept. But, isn\u2019t that always the case?<\/p>\n
However August felt about his sleeping situation, I was relieved by his question. As much as there are moments of parenthood when you glimpse your greatness in the eyes of your child, more often there are moments when you painfully recognize your utter failure, your need to be rescued before you make a terrible mistake in the life of your child.<\/p>\n
I, for one, walked out of my son\u2019s room holding relief close. Thank you God that I am not Jesus for this kid. I cannot rescue him from the choices he will make\u2026the decisions that will break him and possibly those around him. He will need to be rescued by a savior who is bigger and stronger and more beautiful and lovely than I will ever be.<\/p>\n
Nope. I\u2019m not God, August. Be thankful. After all, it\u2019s Thankful Tuesday.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
There are some moments of parenthood in which you are suddenly struck with the realization that there is no one more heroic to your child than you. There is no one they know who could come close to your genius, your humor, your success. I remember having those typical \u201cMy dad can beat up your […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":999,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[83,233],"class_list":["post-1202","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-motherhood","tag-mama-life","tag-thankful-tuesday"],"yoast_head":"\n