I am a mom who doesn't like messes, therefore I don't allow the kids to help me in the kitchen as much as I should. But I'm reading a book called The Mommy Manual by Barbara Curtis, and she has encouraged me to forget the mess and focus on the experience. So today at lunch time I asked Micah if he would like to help me make his peanut butter and syrup sandwich. He was so excited to help stir the ingredients and then took the initiative to spread the peanut butter out onto his bread. I then asked him if he would like some cheese-its to go with it, and to my surprise he said yes, but that he wanted them on his sandwich. I hesitated and said, "Are you sure?" He responded with a nod of the head and proceeded to place the cheese-its on his peanut butter. When he took the first bite his eyes lit up and he nodded in satisfaction. He had created a sandwich all his own and truly was enjoying it.
Now to ponder. Had I not gotten past the "mess" and not invited Micah to join me in the kitchen, he would not have had the experience of creating a sandwich of his own, being proud of himself, and learning that he can do things by himself. What life lessons my son learned today in just 15 minutes with mom in the kitchen.
Lord, I know this is what you wanted me to learn today. Help me get past the "messes" and get to the heart of my children. Help me to love them like you love me: unconditionally, patiently, mess and all. Amen.
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