When we’re parents, we have so many roles to fill in our children’s lives. It really takes a lot to raise up these little pounds of flesh into solid and functioning adults. Oh, it’s easy enough to keep them alive with a little effort but to actually have children who are happy and function well in society, and also be productive, it takes a bit more than just feeding them and loving them. One of the things we strive to do as parents is to make sure our kids know the value of hard work. If a child is allowed to be lazy, that doesn’t bode well for their future, either as a parent themselves or as people in the workforce. However, there are some things that are important in addition to work. The lady in the fictional story below puts it all into perspective.
A friend and I were standing in line at the grocery store the other day, and I was telling her how lazy my children were. I had come in from work that morning, and like most times, my house was wrecked.
“I believe children nowadays are just out for what they can get. I bend over backward for them, and they can’t even help keep our house clean. It wouldn’t bother me so, but it’s the parents who look bad if the house is a mess.”
“Do you know how blessed you are?” A woman behind us asked. “I would love to go home and find my house a mess. I wouldn’t mind my carpet being ruined or the dishes left everywhere. I wouldn’t mind the dirty clothes being piled high or the many socks to match. I wouldn’t even mind anyone talking about my dirty home. Matter of fact, I would love it. I would dearly love to kick my way through the house just to get to my kids and be able to hug them, kiss them and tell them how much I love them.
You see, my two children were killed in an auto accident and now it’s just my husband and me. My house stays clean, my clothes stay put up, the dishes are done. There are no fingerprints on my walls, no mysterious spots on my carpets. There are no sounds of arguing, no slamming doors, no laughter, no ‘I love you Mom.’ So you see, you are very blessed. What I would give to be going through what you are right now. How I would love to be able to hold my kids, wipe away their tears, share their dreams. Just to watch them play. If I had my children, I wouldn’t care how my house looked. I would be happy just to have them.”
Now if you come into my house and see a big old mess, you can think bad thoughts if you want, but I feel greatly blessed.
