The Changing Boy

November 12, 2011 by Sarah

I am blessed with a truly wonderful son. He is smart, witty, sensitive, encouraging, courageous, and handsome to boot!

And he is growing up. Today I saw him carry his baby sister around the house on his shoulders; I heard him reading the story of Jesus’ birth to both of his sisters; I was able to rely on him to pull our rolling shopping cart home from the market.

Tonight, he asked me to help him make up his bed, as he had washed his sheets today. We discussed the benefits of having two sets of sheets. Like being able to put fresh sheets on the bed right away, and having a center crease to align the flat sheet on the bed. And then I taught him some of the tricks of folding sheets easily.

It felt so adult and lovely-like!

And then…. he asked if he could wash some of the veggies for me! Sa-weeeet! He washed the apples, pears, oranges, cucumbers and beets. Which only leaves me with the potatoes and carrots to take care of before I go to bed, which should be soon!

I am often fatigued by the constancy of rearing children– the constant reminding… of chores, of biblical principles, of how to pick up/clean up…

the constant listening… to long-winded, exquisitely detailed stories, either from the playground or a favorite book, or bickering!

the constant praying… Dear Lord, please give me patience, before I’m done with this cup of coffee!…  Dear Lord, I don’t want to yell at them today, but I can’t think of anything nice to say…. Dear Lord, how is it possible that you let me raise these precious people?… Dear Lord, please let us all sleep well tonight… Oh, Lord, the neighbor has a yucky cough and snotty nose and I didn’t know that when I sent the kids out to play for 2 hours, and Lord please heal that kid and keep mine from getting it…


the constant referee-ing… and yes, I know that you’re not supposed to referee between your kids, but seriously, you know you just have to sometimes, and that “sometimes” is WAY more often than I would like!

And all of that is why I feel like a happy, filled-up-with-grace Mama tonight.

I hope you can feel this joy of seeing a boy changing into a young man before your very eyes in your home.

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