Mommy's Art

Have you ever thought of raising kids as being an Art? I mean as opposed to being a science. The science of raising a child means that there are certain predictable rules that will produce certain predictable responses. There is a lot about child rearing that is certainly scientific. For example, any child on the 'no-nap & add a lollipop' adrenaline sugar high will make a mother pull hair out of her very own head. Or, the more kids sleep, the better they sleep...did you know that? We know that certain rules, like bed times, eating times, and other healthy routines produce healthy children. But what about rules? What about nurturing and the warmth of responding to a request that doesn't line up with a rule? What about exceptions?
I've learned that raising kids is an Art. You need rules like the artist needs tools and color. But how and when they are applied may require interpretation. How do we know though? If you break a bed time too many times you no longer have a bed time, or you no longer have a cooperative child. What happens to dinner if you allow too much of a snack? What makes Art work is WISDOM. And wisdom comes from God. It's that simple. We have been given the privilege of asking for wisdom anytime we need it. Anytime. God even says He won't get annoyed by our asking. So we can literally depend on THE all-knowing wise God for little things like should I give in to the plea for crackers right now! Do we really understand how near God is to our days...how interested He is in these grimy little details of mothering. Happy painting!

"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." James 1:5