I Don't Wanna!

Having three young girls is often times very exhausting.  Homeschooling them adds a unique stress to that too.  There are many times that I wake up in the morning with at least two of them screaming or crying, and I think "I don't wanna!!"  I don't wanna spend all day correcting their poor behavior.  I don't wanna nag them to do their chores. I don't wanna nag them to do their schoolwork.   I don't wanna break up another fight.  I don't wanna clean up another mess.  The list seems endless. 

However, every single day something will happen that will make me realize why I do what I do.  For instance, yesterday was a crazy day.  We have been snowed in for a few days, and we are all starting to go a little nutso.  The girls have been fighting more and are moodier than usual.  We had had a LONG day of homeschool, and this mama was ready for a break!  So we agreed that we would each do one chore to tidy up the house, get in our pjs, pop some popcorn and watch American Idol together.  And so we did.  But in the bustle of getting all of the above accomplished, I heard my 3 year old say "My sister is so kind!" speaking about her oldest sister who is 10.  It was the sweetest and most sincere thing I have ever heard.  We had a very nice evening together relaxing and spending time together.  When it was time for bed, I found my middle girl who is 6 kneeling in her bed silently saying her prayers all by herself.  It brought me to tears. 

Life as a homeschool mama of 3 girls is tough.  It ain't for wimps!  Raising three girls to love the Lord, respect their elders, care for the poor and needy, love the unloved, honor their father and mother, treat others with love and kindness, work as unto the Lord (even in their schoolwork), take care of what God has given us, and still have fun and enjoy being kids, is EXHAUSTING!  But in those glimpses of time when I see them stopping to help others, giving hugs to strangers, telling each other "I love you" and really meaning it, praying the prayers that only a childlike faith can pray, and seeing a glimmer of what kind of God-fearing young women they are becoming, it makes me say "I WANNA!" I wanna invest time and love into them now so they can grow up to become everything God has for them.  It ain't easy, but I wanna!!

Proverbs 13:24  Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them.

Proverbs 29:17  Discipline your children, and they will give you peace; they will bring you the delights you desire.

Lisa Powell