“Who put the play-dough in the freezer?!?” ” I can’t fix your hair until the spit in it dries.” If anyone without children heard half of the crazy things I have to say all day they would think I should be admitted to the asylum. Other mothers wouldn’t even blink. Children do some very interesting things, defying explanation most of the time, but still I will ask, “Why is there a baggy of mud in my refrigerator???”
I wish it were only funny, half-crazy things that came out of my mouth, but unfortunately hurtful things come out too. This is something I have worked on my whole time as a mother and I hope it is getting better.
When I do mess up I try to use it as an opportunity to talk to my children about how as a human, I will let them down, but how they have a Heavenly Father who will never let them down. He will never be harsh with them, never impatient.
There is a lot in the Bible about controlling our tongues, and it resonates with me every time I come across one of those verses. The first half of James chapter three is all about taming the tongue. Verse ten says, “Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing.” My goal is that far more praise comes out of my mouth when I am speaking to my kids than negativity. I want to speak encouragement into their lives so they can pursue becoming the people God intends for them to become.
I’m sure I will say many more things such as, “Why did you decorate your little sister with markers?” But I hope I also take the opportunities to say things like, “I love you,” and “I’m proud of you.”
“The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.” Proverbs 10:11
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