Dinner Time

Tonight was chaotic, and yet it was completely ordinary. The dishes in the sink were piled high, evidence of a meal prepared. The kids were running back and forth to the table, The baby was crying, wanting to be let out of his Pack n play jail, so he was moved to his high chair, one step closer to food. The hubby was working, as he does every evening. His presence is missed, and he will usually send a text of “How’s it going?”

I struggle to adequately describe the chaos that is swirling around me. Most days I dive off into the explanation of what child did what, to whom and why I thought it might be the night I lose my mind. We do this, right? The joy is often lost for me, in my need for validation and being heard. The joy slips right by me, and I miss it. Tonight was not a typical night, and for that I am grateful. The kids were being very kind, and trying to feed baby brother as they were all eating their food in somewhat of an orderly fashion. The oldest was finished first, and was asking for left over cookies from a child’s birthday party over the weekend. I’m sure if your kids are anything like mine, they have bloodhound noses for all things yummy and delicious. Give them meat and you just tried to poison them! Sound familiar? Yeah, parents everywhere know it’s a universal toddler truth. Tonight, I had an interaction with my middle little boy who definitely warrants documentation. This little guy is both the sweetest, and the most defiant child I have ever known. He is loyal, emotional, sentimental and a strong defender. He is both hysterical and maddening in the same interaction. Tonight was no different, and here is how our conversation took place.

Let me set the stage for you….

Oldest child, in true oldest child fashion, finished his dinner first and requested his cookie. The little lady of the house was finishing up her roast and rice, and about to enjoy her spoils of war. My middle little, while he had polished off his rice very quickly, was taking his sweet lovin time with every tiny bite of meat. Again, meat is poison to toddlers. Out of nowhere, this little guy tells me, “Mommy, God told me to not eat my food.”  I said, “Really? Well how do you know He told you to not eat your food?” He said, “He told me in my head to not eat my food.” I said, “Really? Well, I doubt he did that, but did you know that God told children to obey their parents? And mommy says that you need to eat your meat.” He quickly responded, this time with a little frustration in his voice, “Well, God told me that I can’t eat my food.” I also quickly responded, “Well that’s really sad for you. Mommy says you can’t have a brownie till your meat is gone.” He laughs and says, “God was just making a joke! He was KIDDING. I can eat my food!” I said “You are right….God DOES have jokes!! He finished his food in about 2 minutes without incident, and his brownie was devoured in much less time. He was motivated!!

Motivation is tricky. The payoffs for a task well done, are often not acknowledged, sometimes, go completely unnoticed by anyone. The motivation for what we do as mothers, fathers, and even children has got to come from something more important than how many likes we got on Facebook today, or the people in our lives expectations of us, or should I mention the expectations we place on ourselves? Those are usually the worst for me, and truth be known, cause the most friction in my home. The motivation to achieve, to strength one another, and the overall joy of living must come from the giver of life, the ultimate motivator who knows our hearts most deeply. As I write these words, realize I’m preaching this to my own heart. Tonight could have easily been lost in the shuffle of the normal, the chaos, and the frustrated mom heart. Tonight was a reminder of the motivation that God brings to the table. His table. His word. His words are life. His words are truth. His words are brownies to my soul.

“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!”  Psalm 34:8