I thought when I moved to the country I wouldn’t have to worry too much about vandalism. Was I ever wrong! I have experienced broken windows, graffiti, and trash dumped all over my property. I would expect that if I still lived in the city, but I figured out the reason fairly quickly.
See, I brought the vandals with me. My children can destroy something so fast it makes my head spin. To date they have broken 4 windows, 3 doors, put several dents in walls and drawn on almost every surface in my home. They are unusually adept at spreading trash to every corner of the property.
On my good-Mommy days I can chalk it up to boisterous creativity. On my bad-Mommy days I see it as a concerted effort to reduce my home to a pile of rubble and leave me sobbing in the middle. (Well, maybe not that bad, but you get the idea.)
I’m not sure if this is something only my children excel at or if it is common to all small people, but if you too live with small time vandals, know that you have my utmost sympathies. I do have hope that one day they will grow out of this, learn how to take care of their things, and become responsible adults.
There are a lot of verses in the Bible encouraging us in this adventure of child-rearing. One of my favorites that I try to remember on hard days is Psalm 126:5-6. It says, “Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seeds to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.” It makes me think of all the things we try to instill in our children, and how when they are grown all those things will hopefully come to fruition in God’s timing.
In the mean time, hang in there dear sisters! Know that you are not alone. I really do believe that God knows right where we are and gives us grace to continue on, even on the hardest days.
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” II Corinthians 12:9
Leave a Reply