What a Morning

It has been a while since I have had the chance to just sit and write.  After getting Will down for a nap today, I had been thinking all morning about this.  This blog will involve some humor, sarcasm, tough moments, but overall just plain honesty.  This all comes from a blog entry a friend recently sent me about a woman "apologizing to her judgmental prechild self."  So here it is for me.

This morning Will and I set out, following Nonnie, to meet Ashley, Grant, Claire, Anna, and Baby Plack at the coolest McDonalds in Biltmore Village.  It had been a good morning, Will slept well and things looked good other than the rain and 47 degrees outside.

McDonalds started off great, Will loved the baby grand piano that plays itself, and let out a scream that deafened all of the ears of those eating including maybe allowing some senior citizens to hear such a wonderful noise when he saw his cousins enter.

We sat and ate, Will started off with his pancake but quickly detoured to my oatmeal (judgemental prechild self comment 1: I never thought I would let my child eat breakfast at McDonalds until he was at least 4).  He was doing well, we were having fun.  After he was finished eating he did what he does best, "Up mommy!" and the high chair time was over.  (Judgment 2: my child will sit quietly at restaurants until we are finished).  Then it all fell apart, he enjoyed running circles around the restaurant as I tried to catch him.  The older folks "oh he is so cute" comments turned to "can't that mother get her child under control" looks.  As I chased him around until I caught him, I removed him from the racetrack and took him outside.  Some people probably wanted to call DSS because they thought "heaven forbid she might be spanking him", however I was not, we have learned Will does not respond to spankings (Judgement.....I will discipline my child according to Shepherding a Child's Heart and more than likely spank). 

Upon re-entering, Will continued running, trying to climb over the barricade stopping children like him from touching the piano, shrieking at every truck that passed the place and so forth.  (Judgement # I forgot: I will always remove my unruly child from the restaurant and not return with him).  I then got him to sit on my lap and drink my hot chocolate (GASP another sweet reward) until he wanted down again.  As he was getting down, me proud for calming him down and sitting quietly, he lost his balance and plastered himself into the corner of the neighboring table, bouncing back like he was just hit by an NFL lineman, landing on the floor coming too close to whacking his head on the tile floor.  SHRIIIEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKING took over as all eyes looked at this horrible mother who apparently is not married (the wedding ring in the cleaner in SC) that can't control her child.

Well I no sooner swept him up into my arms, kissed and loved on him and calmed him down after checking all areas to make sure he wasn't bleeding, then a group of ex-cons decided that I needed help parenting my child and came over to do a disappearing cigarette trick to make him smile.  It worked, I'll give them that, as they sat and introduced themselves to another group by saying "you @ Local County Jail too?"  AWESOME! (judgement number....won't allow my child to be entertained with cigarettes or ex-cons

:-)!

Well, long story short, we were able to leave in one piece, of course only to be heckled and whistled at as the ex-cons got in their car next to us (because again I am a single mom that can't take care of my child and needs help:-).  What a morning!

I look back and think of all of the things I told myself I would never do as a parent and judged those that did them.  I looked at moms and children with judgmental eyes on a regular basis.  I thought, my child will never be like that.  I am here to tell you, I am not perfect, but I discipline my child, I parent my child in a Godly manner when I am not sinning on a regular basis, yet we are all human, we all sin and fall short of the glory of God, yep even our cute children.  And because of that I am so thankful to be saved by a living and wonderful Savior that daily takes up my burden and has my child in his arms every moment of every day!