Ugh! I need help...
This has become the most annoying phrase out of my child's mouth. My adorable, almost 3 year old Nalley is much more competent than she gives herself credit for being. Call it a personality flaw, but she likes to be acknowledged when she does something, anything. She craves the attention, the applause, the smiles, the hugs, the "good jobs" and all the other fanfare that seems to accompany a small child's achievements.
There are days when I want to pull my hair out because I have 85 other things to do and her "I need help!" is not really a need as much as it is a want. What she is really saying is "look what I can do, now do I get fruit snacks for that?" On those days it takes every prayer for patience and sanity I have to keep my hair on my head. Sometimes I fail, sometimes badly and more than a little is ripped out (it is so nice and thick these days no one could notice, thanks pregnancy!)
After several days of little sleep or interrupted sleep (thank you pregnancy again!) the hair pulling episodes for me seemed to be unavoidable. I needed a break, I needed her to be self reliant, I needed coffee and apparently I needed to put my hair up in a pony tail to protect me from myself! I had to come up with a better way to deal with her "needing" me before the resentment grew.
Isn't God wonderful? You turn to Him in prayer and more times than not you have a nice answer or reply, sometimes it isn't quite what you expected or wanted but it is awesome!
So I start my prayer for more patience and it goes something like this, "Oh Lord! She is at it again today and I need...
I couldn't even complete my prayer because I was struck totally and completely still and silent. There were those words coming from my own mouth going up to my father's ears. After a small little guilt trip for getting mad at my child for something I do a lot (hypocrisy isn't fun!), I said a quick thank you to the big man.
So here is what I took from my little needs based assessment...
Like any parent of older children will say, they grow up way too fast and you will miss these days. I am sure I will miss Nalley asking me 92 times a day for help. In the middle of it, it is annoying, but I will miss it. I will miss her reaching for my hand to hold when we cross the street because she is big enough to do it herself. I will probably cry a little when she tells me she doesn't need me anymore. A mother knows her children always need her just not in the same way we once did.
In a similar way, we can NEVER outgrow God. We will always need Him in our lives. He wants us to be like a small child and ask for help so He can be here with us. God sees us as His children. He wants us to need Him. He wants us to turn to Him. He doesn't even mind if it is only for a little bit of encouragement.
I am trying to be a good mother. Sometimes my girls need to do it on their own. They need to grow, they need to change, they need to recognize their value and their worth. I have to allow them to fail every once in awhile, I have to take a step back and tell them no when they ask for help sometimes.
God is a good father. He is always with us, just a quick request for help away. But sometimes, He lets us grow. He tells us no. He allows us to remind ourselves about our own self worth and our value as His creation.
God Bless!
Hannah
The Farmer's Wife
