Have you seen the CapriSun commercial featuring the “overprotective mom?” As the commercial says, “If Paula Ebert had her way she would help her child … with everything…” I laugh everytime I see this commercial, because while it’s an exaggeration of motherhood, it reveals the secret truth of moms everywhere. Take a look.
If you’re anything like me, you want to spare your child any semblence of pain.
My oldest son, Jordan still holds the record from when he was five years old, for the most gory injury at his school. He and his buddies were playing tag on the playground when he tripped and fell head first on a slab of pavement. He suffered a 5 inch gash on his forehead that went all the way to his skull.
The severity of his injury caused him to go into shock. When I received word that Jordan had a slight injury and “may need stitches” and to meet them at the hospital, I simply assumed it would be the same ole’ same ole’, of just five or six stitches, as this particular child was practically on a first name basis at our local ER. You can imagine my “mom horror” as I was walking into the ER and heard someone holler my name: “Shelly!!
I turned around and saw my little man on a stretcher being pulled from the back of an ambulance. My heart sank as I saw his little blonde head completely wrapped in guaze.
Realizing this was much more serious than I thought, I sprinted across the parking lot to the ambulance. Overcome with emotion, it took all I had to choke back the tears as he looked at me through his forced smile and said, “I’m okay, Mommy.”
Oh how I wished it was me who was on that stretcher! If I could have traded places with him, I would have in a nano-second.
Eight hours in the ER, a pastic surgeon and 28 stitches later … we were finally on our way home.
It’s one of the more sobering (and sometimes painful) realities of motherhood: We can’t always protect our children and ensure that everything will go just right for them.
But, we can love them and teach them the truths of Christ and how much they are loved by Him. We can guide, mold and pray for them. [Oh, how we MUST pray for them, and teach them how to pray]. And we can give them gradually expanding boundaries through each new year of their life.
My three children are now young adults.
So, my teaching years are all but over. The truth is, their faith has always been my faith, as I’ve taught them and ensured they were deeply involved in a Bible teaching church. But, now their faith will be put the test. It’s time for them to own their own faith and believe what they believe because they genuinely believe it.
The boundaries I’ve set over the years are now their own boundaries to set. All I can do is offer guidance as they navigate their ever expanding exposure to the world.
And now … my most important role in their lives seems to be that of a praying Momma.
I pray for them morning, noon and night. I pray for their hearts and minds to be guarded, because I know that the heart is the wellspring of life. [RE: Proverbs 4:23] I pray over them [still] while they are sleeping.
My friend, Karen Jantzi once said in a interview that she prays for “crop failure” for her children. Ever since I heard that, having made plenty of parenting mistakes over the years, I often pray that for my children. Asking Him for the bad seeds that were sown into their lives not take root and that they will experience great crop failure.
Since you and I can’t do everything for our children and be there to protect them from everything, no matter what their age, we can cover them with our Momma prayers, and trust the Perfect Parent, their Heavenly Father to guard, guide and protect them.
A Momma’s prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for being the Perfect Parent. Thank you for choosing me to be my kid’s mom. Please guard their hearts and minds, and allow the good seed to take root in their lives so that they will grow to own their own faith and walk boldly in their purpose that You already have planned for them. They are Yours, oh Lord, and I trust You, completely. In the precious Name of Jesus I pray, AMEN.
YOUR TURN: WHAT DO YOU PRAY FOR YOUR KIDS? HOW HAS THIS POST ENCOURAGED YOU TO PRAY FOR YOUR KIDS DIFFERENTLY?
By: Shelly Brown
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