So, BB and I were driving around to my appointments. I had two shots and a medication delivery to make and then we could spend the rest of the day at home. But he was feeling "perky". He has since added that word to his vocabulary. I was enjoying the time with him. He was telling me jokes and we were car dancing and laughing a lot.
Then my cell phone rang. I read the caller ID. Uh oh.
"This is the school nurse. I have Princess here in the office with a low grade temp, complaints of a scratchy throat and an upset tummy."
My good mood evaporated like an ice cube on a sunny day. And BB's plans for "seeing the city and going to library while hanging out with Mom" also evaporated. He began to sulk.
I told the nurse it would be an hour and a half before I could get there because I really had to get these shots done and meds delivered. I could tell she wasn't happy about it but what else could I do? Mom-guilt was kicking in. But Nurse duty was taking precendence. Once my Nurse obligations were completed, I would be able to kick back into full Mom gear and take care of my daughter. Thank goodness for cell phones because I was able to drive and call to get her a throat culture for the afternoon.
By the time I picked her up, her temp has gone up to 101.3. She looked miserable. Poor thing. And her throat culture....Flaming Red Positive. Guess what I will be doing on Friday?
Another sick day. My stomach is in knots about it but there isn't anything I can do about it but roll with the punches. She is sick, she can't go to school. She needs her Mom. Mom duty will prevail over nurse duty. My co-workers will sort out my client's needs and deligate my tasks for Friday.
A few months ago, Fridays used to be my light day. But over the past month, Fridays have become one of my busiest days with back to back appointments. I am thinking I need to make some adjustments and spread some of that out a little more. Although being busy on Friday afternoon, does make the time go faster and I don't look at the clock as much, counting down the hours til "quittin' time".
I am moving in a few weeks, so this extra time at home is giving me the chance to do some "packing and purging" and with the boys gone today, I can attack their room with vicious attention! They will likely not notice anything missing. But the clutter ratio will decrease.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Sick Days...Round 2
Last night, BB began to complain about his throat hurting. I tried to ignore him. Ignorance is bliss, right? Then he told me he felt weak and even began to crawl along the floor because his legs felt so tired.
My stomach did a swan dive to my toes when he told me he had a headache.
"Not again! I can't do this again. No NO NO NO NO NO..." I wrestled all night with what I should do. I was so torn. I missed 3 days of work last week. And now it looked like I would miss more work again. I can't in good conscience send him to school knowing he is probably contagious with strept just because I don't want to miss work again and I am worried about my own work reputation and performance review. I can't NOT take him to the doctor when I know he needs antibiotics. But but but.... I had a silent adult temper tantrum inside my head.
My sitter happens to be taking care of her sick mother and so my Dad has been taking care of Peanut this week, so that alleviated some of my dilemna. And I began to sort through and prioritize my day and realized that what I had to get done and the clients I needed to see could be seen in the first half of the day. So, when I got to work, I talked to my supervisor and told her what was happening and what I would be doing for the rest of the day. I got a hold of my clients and took care of what I needed to for today and tomorrow. I got an appointment for BB at 12:30. Everything clicked into place.
Can I just say that I really have a wonderful job? Granted I am burning sick time but my clients are taken care of today and my work is done. I will be a little behind in my documentation but that is something I can catch up on fairly quickly.
And BB's strept test? Flaming Red Positive.
My stomach did a swan dive to my toes when he told me he had a headache.
"Not again! I can't do this again. No NO NO NO NO NO..." I wrestled all night with what I should do. I was so torn. I missed 3 days of work last week. And now it looked like I would miss more work again. I can't in good conscience send him to school knowing he is probably contagious with strept just because I don't want to miss work again and I am worried about my own work reputation and performance review. I can't NOT take him to the doctor when I know he needs antibiotics. But but but.... I had a silent adult temper tantrum inside my head.
My sitter happens to be taking care of her sick mother and so my Dad has been taking care of Peanut this week, so that alleviated some of my dilemna. And I began to sort through and prioritize my day and realized that what I had to get done and the clients I needed to see could be seen in the first half of the day. So, when I got to work, I talked to my supervisor and told her what was happening and what I would be doing for the rest of the day. I got a hold of my clients and took care of what I needed to for today and tomorrow. I got an appointment for BB at 12:30. Everything clicked into place.
Can I just say that I really have a wonderful job? Granted I am burning sick time but my clients are taken care of today and my work is done. I will be a little behind in my documentation but that is something I can catch up on fairly quickly.
And BB's strept test? Flaming Red Positive.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Not Quite Grand Larceny
In January, I hit a two year anniversary with my cell phone and got to upgrade. I was so excited to pick out a new phone. I picked out one I liked based on color, I will admit. It's a shiny pinkish/purple. It's also a flip phone and does have an element of coolness to it. It is also so slim, that is slips into my pocket and is hardly noticable. However, when it is set to vibrate, it still sends me 3 feet off the floor. I just can't get used to that.
There are other features to the phone that I really don't care about. It can surf the net, download my email, ringtones and music. Not interested. However, the coolness of my phone was way too tempting for BB and I began to notice that there were times when I couldn't find my phone. I would drive myself crazy thinking that I had misplaced it. It has happened so it is not out of character but when day after day I have been absolutely positive that I put it on the charger on the counter in the kitchen and I KNOW I saw it there a few minutes ago and then I come back and it's gone...It's a little freaky.
In a less than calm manner, I would call out, "Where is my phone?" And sure enough BB would say, "OH, I saw it in the laundry room." I know I did not put it in there. So I started to wise up and started to watch him. He would walk to the laundry room and then come back and hand me the phone. But one day I caught him walking to the laundry room with my phone in his hand saying sweetly, "I'll get it." He's a smart kid but not real bright some times.
Then one day, I was scrambling around looking for it and wracking my brain. He was laying on the couch saying "I haven't seen your phone. Really. I haven't." But I was sure I had it on the counter before I went up to the bathroom. Finally, I went over and pulled the blanket off of him and did a little frisk. My phone was in his pocket.
LIVID only scratches the surface. The irony on that day is that the school bus came early and the kids missed it. He had been goofing around with the settings on my phone so much that he had turned down the volume so when he tried to call me, I didn't hear it. So he had to call my Dad, which was good. He was resourceful and they got to school on time. HOwever, I told him that had he not been playing with my phone, I would have heard him calling. But also, what if I had not been able to find it and had gone to work without it and he needed to get a hold of me, then what?
Today, I got a text message saying that my phone bill is ready to view and I saw the amount and just about screamed or something else. This kid has been uploading or downloading (whatever) games and ringtones onto my phone to the tune of $98.
Needless to say, we had a little chat. He will be working this off for quite some time. And he is grounded from the computer until his debt is paid. I told him that this is stealing because he not only continued to take my phone without permission but he charged things onto my phone without permission and now I have to pay for it. Once it sank in, he stomped off to his room. Later, he told me that I am no fun. I guess my work here is done.
After this conversation, I shut my door and called my cell phone company to see if there was any way that I could reduce the charges. I figured it was worth a shot, right? The guy I talked to was really understanding and he looked at what was uploaded and told me it was games and ring tones. I explained that my son has ADHD and my cool phone is too tempting to him. He said he could reduce the charges by about $40. I told him what my son was going to do to repay this, and that he would be repaying the full amount, even though I was getting it reduced. He started laughing when I told him I was sitting in my room with the door shut. He was the one who came up with the term Larceny.
It fits. I am very pleased with my cell phone company for working this out with me. I think they were very reasonable. They really did not have to reduce any of the charges but I am so glad they did!
BB came up to me and asked me what he could do tomorrow to begin paying this off. I think the part of his consequence that he is the most bothered by is the lack of access to the computer. And if it gets his attention, then it is the right consequence.
There are other features to the phone that I really don't care about. It can surf the net, download my email, ringtones and music. Not interested. However, the coolness of my phone was way too tempting for BB and I began to notice that there were times when I couldn't find my phone. I would drive myself crazy thinking that I had misplaced it. It has happened so it is not out of character but when day after day I have been absolutely positive that I put it on the charger on the counter in the kitchen and I KNOW I saw it there a few minutes ago and then I come back and it's gone...It's a little freaky.
In a less than calm manner, I would call out, "Where is my phone?" And sure enough BB would say, "OH, I saw it in the laundry room." I know I did not put it in there. So I started to wise up and started to watch him. He would walk to the laundry room and then come back and hand me the phone. But one day I caught him walking to the laundry room with my phone in his hand saying sweetly, "I'll get it." He's a smart kid but not real bright some times.
Then one day, I was scrambling around looking for it and wracking my brain. He was laying on the couch saying "I haven't seen your phone. Really. I haven't." But I was sure I had it on the counter before I went up to the bathroom. Finally, I went over and pulled the blanket off of him and did a little frisk. My phone was in his pocket.
LIVID only scratches the surface. The irony on that day is that the school bus came early and the kids missed it. He had been goofing around with the settings on my phone so much that he had turned down the volume so when he tried to call me, I didn't hear it. So he had to call my Dad, which was good. He was resourceful and they got to school on time. HOwever, I told him that had he not been playing with my phone, I would have heard him calling. But also, what if I had not been able to find it and had gone to work without it and he needed to get a hold of me, then what?
Today, I got a text message saying that my phone bill is ready to view and I saw the amount and just about screamed or something else. This kid has been uploading or downloading (whatever) games and ringtones onto my phone to the tune of $98.
Needless to say, we had a little chat. He will be working this off for quite some time. And he is grounded from the computer until his debt is paid. I told him that this is stealing because he not only continued to take my phone without permission but he charged things onto my phone without permission and now I have to pay for it. Once it sank in, he stomped off to his room. Later, he told me that I am no fun. I guess my work here is done.
After this conversation, I shut my door and called my cell phone company to see if there was any way that I could reduce the charges. I figured it was worth a shot, right? The guy I talked to was really understanding and he looked at what was uploaded and told me it was games and ring tones. I explained that my son has ADHD and my cool phone is too tempting to him. He said he could reduce the charges by about $40. I told him what my son was going to do to repay this, and that he would be repaying the full amount, even though I was getting it reduced. He started laughing when I told him I was sitting in my room with the door shut. He was the one who came up with the term Larceny.
It fits. I am very pleased with my cell phone company for working this out with me. I think they were very reasonable. They really did not have to reduce any of the charges but I am so glad they did!
BB came up to me and asked me what he could do tomorrow to begin paying this off. I think the part of his consequence that he is the most bothered by is the lack of access to the computer. And if it gets his attention, then it is the right consequence.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Sick Day #3
My son PH is the elementary school version of Typhoid Mary. He didn't have a fever yesterday. I had "diagnosed" him with croup which occurs only at night. So I sent him off to school. He was perfectly willing to go as well. Later in the day, I got an email from my clinic saying that his overnight strept culture was POSITIVE. Uh oh. Then I got a call from the nurse saying he needs an antibiotic and where did I want it sent. By this time, the day was over at school and other kids were already infected.
In my head I am imagining him going about his day and talking with his friends and alls these little strept bugs flying out of his mouth and landing on the other children. I have a very active imagination and a very guilty conscience. The school nurse made me feel better and said I followed all the school protocol. I kept him home after his fever and when he was 24 hours fever free, he went back to school. I didn't knowingly send him to school with strep. I thought he was negative. That did help my guilt a little.
Poor little man is home today though, looking miserable. He has a fever again. Wet the bed again, for the 3rd night in a row. He is lethargic and glassy-eyed. So a quiet day on the couch with full control of the TV remote is what he is getting. He is watching re-runs of Tom and Jerry cartoons on Boomerang. It is far less annoying to me than other cartoons because at least it is a musical score behind it.
I am no longer running with the bulls but I still don't feel real well. I am very tired and my legs feel shaky and weak. So I must have some sort of virus as well but probably not strept. I haven't had a fever. Just the other lower GI symptoms and fatigue. So, a low key day at home will be good for me too. Thankfully, I didn't have anything booked at work..just meetings and I can always get filled in later on anything pertinent.
In my head I am imagining him going about his day and talking with his friends and alls these little strept bugs flying out of his mouth and landing on the other children. I have a very active imagination and a very guilty conscience. The school nurse made me feel better and said I followed all the school protocol. I kept him home after his fever and when he was 24 hours fever free, he went back to school. I didn't knowingly send him to school with strep. I thought he was negative. That did help my guilt a little.
Poor little man is home today though, looking miserable. He has a fever again. Wet the bed again, for the 3rd night in a row. He is lethargic and glassy-eyed. So a quiet day on the couch with full control of the TV remote is what he is getting. He is watching re-runs of Tom and Jerry cartoons on Boomerang. It is far less annoying to me than other cartoons because at least it is a musical score behind it.
I am no longer running with the bulls but I still don't feel real well. I am very tired and my legs feel shaky and weak. So I must have some sort of virus as well but probably not strept. I haven't had a fever. Just the other lower GI symptoms and fatigue. So, a low key day at home will be good for me too. Thankfully, I didn't have anything booked at work..just meetings and I can always get filled in later on anything pertinent.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
The Running of the Bulls is not in Spain
I am now on sick day #2 this week. Monday night was school conferences and I looked over at my little 6.5 yo PH. He looked glassy-eyed. I felt his head, the back of his neck...Uh oh. Burning up. In the morning he complained of a headache and a scratchy throat. Mom, RN wondered about it being strept throat. Fortunately, Peanut had a doctor appt already scheduled for his 5 yo check-up, bummer for him in that it included two shots. So, I got both boys looked at. The strept culture was negative. Whew! And PH was feeling better.
In the evening, Grandma came over for dinner and Peanut didn't want to eat, which is very unusual for him. I felt his forhead, back of the neck and he was burning up. I checked his temp. 103.4. Groan. It could be the immunizations he got but that is a little high for that, I thought. Looks like another sick day, I thought to myself.
Sometime before midnight, Peanut crept into bed with me and when he put his feet on me, they were like blazing hot irons with toes. Yup. Sick day tomorrow and I rubbed his back and went back to sleep. A while later, I was awoken to the sound of a strangled seal barking from the next bedroom. PH was coughing and crying and had wet the bed. Poor little guy.
I clicked quickly back into Mom, RN brain, which takes a little longer after midnight and after being awoken from a deep comatose sleep, and realized that this is croup. Purely viral but very distressing. I cleaned him up and then turned the shower on to the hottest setting and put PH in the bathroom to breath in the moist, hot vapors. Sure enough, after about 10 minutes, the coughing quieted down and he began to relax and was able to go to bed and fall back to sleep.
If only I could be just Mom, RN. Alas, I have clients in the community who need my services too. So I am torn. I already had to reschedule two clients from yesterday. And since I am the only nurse in the office, my co-workers can watch clients set up meds but they can't physically touch the meds. I have clients who cannot set up their medications on their own. Those would be the clients I need to see today. Sigh.
My solution then is to go in to the office for an hour, set up 4 medication boxes and then ask the case managers to deliver the meds for me. Seems reasonable. My son will be able to come with me. He will enjoy seeing my cubicle and if I give him some scratch paper, he can entertain himself and color for a while. I also have Skittles in my desk. Today is a day that calls for Bribery.
However, what I did not count on was to wake up in the morning to find myself sick. My challenge was getting everybody else ready for school while I was running back and forth to the bathroom and being unable to leave for extended periods of time because of the twisting of my insides and the "end results" from such twisting of the gut. I don't want to go anywhere. But duty is calling.
Tonight is also Boat-a-Rama at church and Pumpkin head has been looking forward to this night for 6 weeks. Princess has invited a friend to church and they are going to be making homemade ice cream as a special treat for their program. And I am running with the bulls...to the white throne.
Not a good day for the Mom. Or Mom, RN. Or Tulip, RN either.
In the evening, Grandma came over for dinner and Peanut didn't want to eat, which is very unusual for him. I felt his forhead, back of the neck and he was burning up. I checked his temp. 103.4. Groan. It could be the immunizations he got but that is a little high for that, I thought. Looks like another sick day, I thought to myself.
Sometime before midnight, Peanut crept into bed with me and when he put his feet on me, they were like blazing hot irons with toes. Yup. Sick day tomorrow and I rubbed his back and went back to sleep. A while later, I was awoken to the sound of a strangled seal barking from the next bedroom. PH was coughing and crying and had wet the bed. Poor little guy.
I clicked quickly back into Mom, RN brain, which takes a little longer after midnight and after being awoken from a deep comatose sleep, and realized that this is croup. Purely viral but very distressing. I cleaned him up and then turned the shower on to the hottest setting and put PH in the bathroom to breath in the moist, hot vapors. Sure enough, after about 10 minutes, the coughing quieted down and he began to relax and was able to go to bed and fall back to sleep.
If only I could be just Mom, RN. Alas, I have clients in the community who need my services too. So I am torn. I already had to reschedule two clients from yesterday. And since I am the only nurse in the office, my co-workers can watch clients set up meds but they can't physically touch the meds. I have clients who cannot set up their medications on their own. Those would be the clients I need to see today. Sigh.
My solution then is to go in to the office for an hour, set up 4 medication boxes and then ask the case managers to deliver the meds for me. Seems reasonable. My son will be able to come with me. He will enjoy seeing my cubicle and if I give him some scratch paper, he can entertain himself and color for a while. I also have Skittles in my desk. Today is a day that calls for Bribery.
However, what I did not count on was to wake up in the morning to find myself sick. My challenge was getting everybody else ready for school while I was running back and forth to the bathroom and being unable to leave for extended periods of time because of the twisting of my insides and the "end results" from such twisting of the gut. I don't want to go anywhere. But duty is calling.
Tonight is also Boat-a-Rama at church and Pumpkin head has been looking forward to this night for 6 weeks. Princess has invited a friend to church and they are going to be making homemade ice cream as a special treat for their program. And I am running with the bulls...to the white throne.
Not a good day for the Mom. Or Mom, RN. Or Tulip, RN either.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Broken
This post will not be light and funny. It's not the place I am in tonight. I have been through the wringer this week but I think I finally let it out. I also feel like this "Broken Place" is right where God wants me. I feel Him telling me "Good...NOW I can work with you." I had to let go of a lot of junk that has been holding me back. I have been holding me back.
I ended a 2 year relationship/engagement. It's been almost 2 months now since I broke things off. I am at peace about it. It was the right thing to do. My only regret is that I didn't see the warning signs sooner. Actually, I saw them but I ignored them. Sort of like running a run light. My Mom has put me on a "Man-atorium" or what I dub "dating rehab". It's not such a bad idea. I don't seem to do a real good job of picking men. I think I get caught up in feeling lonely and aching for a mate that I rush into things without stopping to think. My fortune cookie on Friday said "You wear your heart on your sleeve". To that I said, "Duhhh". What I am doing during my Rehab is NOT looking for a man and taking a good hard look at the choices I have made and why I made them. I'm a pretty analytical person, so I am analyzing myself about why I do the silly stuff I do when it comes to relationships. It's tough stuff. It's hard because the deepest part of me really longs for a marriage like I see with my parents and some of my friends at church. But what my previous failed relationships have severly lacked has been friendship first. I rushed in with my heart first and then all of a sudden, Whoooaaaa...this is not a person who is good for me and I don't think I even like him.
So, that is one part that has been broken. I have to give that desire and longing over to the Lord. I need to daily, even hourly, or maybe minute by minute, give Him my desire to marry again.
I have also realized in this self analysis that I don't make good decisions when I am feeling desperate. That includes relationships, finances, budgeting or how I spend my time. This has been the biggest revelation to me this week. I was panicking a little this week because I thought that I should buy a house. I even found a really cute one, put in an offer and then woke up in a cold sweat after having a dream where my mother told me "It's too much..." so I recinded the offer. Then I talked with a mortgage guy about my credit report and even though my score is fine, there are things I need to clean up and this sent me realing and panicking. So once again, I start this cycle of "all or nothing" and "end of the world" thinking.
The result was a lot of headaches and a twisted knot in my stomach for several days. And I realized that I needed to slow way down. But it is ok. It may be the best thing for me, just like dating rehab, to step back and continue to rent for a year or so, work on cleaning up my finances, evaluate some of my bad habits that mess me up.
But it broke me. I felt so embarrassed and ashamed that I had let my finances spin out of control, or what felt out of control to me. I felt embarrassed that I had stayed in an unhealthy and abusive relationship for far too long because I was to scared to be alone. But God's word says that God does not give us a spirit of fear but of power and of a strong mind. So, that fear and the shame, embarrassment are not of God. God wants me to confess my lack of faith and my lack of dependence upon Him. I think He has used all these really difficult circumstances to break down these strongholds in my life, these little walls I built because I think I can handle my life better than the One who knows every hair on my head and who has known me before I was knit together in my mother's womb. I realized today, I know nothing. But knowing that I know nothing is not making me feel weak. That is what is surprising. I stood in the shower and I cried, I confessed my sins and my poor choices and I am asking the Lord to take over and lead me. And now I feel calm and no longer scared.
Now the Lord can work with me. Because I am broken.
I ended a 2 year relationship/engagement. It's been almost 2 months now since I broke things off. I am at peace about it. It was the right thing to do. My only regret is that I didn't see the warning signs sooner. Actually, I saw them but I ignored them. Sort of like running a run light. My Mom has put me on a "Man-atorium" or what I dub "dating rehab". It's not such a bad idea. I don't seem to do a real good job of picking men. I think I get caught up in feeling lonely and aching for a mate that I rush into things without stopping to think. My fortune cookie on Friday said "You wear your heart on your sleeve". To that I said, "Duhhh". What I am doing during my Rehab is NOT looking for a man and taking a good hard look at the choices I have made and why I made them. I'm a pretty analytical person, so I am analyzing myself about why I do the silly stuff I do when it comes to relationships. It's tough stuff. It's hard because the deepest part of me really longs for a marriage like I see with my parents and some of my friends at church. But what my previous failed relationships have severly lacked has been friendship first. I rushed in with my heart first and then all of a sudden, Whoooaaaa...this is not a person who is good for me and I don't think I even like him.
So, that is one part that has been broken. I have to give that desire and longing over to the Lord. I need to daily, even hourly, or maybe minute by minute, give Him my desire to marry again.
I have also realized in this self analysis that I don't make good decisions when I am feeling desperate. That includes relationships, finances, budgeting or how I spend my time. This has been the biggest revelation to me this week. I was panicking a little this week because I thought that I should buy a house. I even found a really cute one, put in an offer and then woke up in a cold sweat after having a dream where my mother told me "It's too much..." so I recinded the offer. Then I talked with a mortgage guy about my credit report and even though my score is fine, there are things I need to clean up and this sent me realing and panicking. So once again, I start this cycle of "all or nothing" and "end of the world" thinking.
The result was a lot of headaches and a twisted knot in my stomach for several days. And I realized that I needed to slow way down. But it is ok. It may be the best thing for me, just like dating rehab, to step back and continue to rent for a year or so, work on cleaning up my finances, evaluate some of my bad habits that mess me up.
But it broke me. I felt so embarrassed and ashamed that I had let my finances spin out of control, or what felt out of control to me. I felt embarrassed that I had stayed in an unhealthy and abusive relationship for far too long because I was to scared to be alone. But God's word says that God does not give us a spirit of fear but of power and of a strong mind. So, that fear and the shame, embarrassment are not of God. God wants me to confess my lack of faith and my lack of dependence upon Him. I think He has used all these really difficult circumstances to break down these strongholds in my life, these little walls I built because I think I can handle my life better than the One who knows every hair on my head and who has known me before I was knit together in my mother's womb. I realized today, I know nothing. But knowing that I know nothing is not making me feel weak. That is what is surprising. I stood in the shower and I cried, I confessed my sins and my poor choices and I am asking the Lord to take over and lead me. And now I feel calm and no longer scared.
Now the Lord can work with me. Because I am broken.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Spongebob Squarepants Sunday School Lesson
My kids and I were eating dinner together at church last night and BB mentioned that a kid on the bus told them (Princess, BB and PH) that they were "not cool enough" to ride in the back of the bus. Well, this Mom was about to put on her Growly Mamma Bear suit and defend the honor of my kids...but instead, I stayed calm and said, "Well, in my opinion, kids who have to define who is 'cool' and 'not cool' are probably not feeling very 'cool' themselves." And then the thought struck me about how I could make a really good point.
My kids are big BIG fans of Spongebob Squarepants. It's silly and corny but there are some really good lessons that can be drawn from that cartoon. I told my kids that even though this child was being mean to them, Jesus tells us that we are to love our neighbors and we are to love our enemies. And even Spongebob, who gets picked on all the time by Squidword, continues to love and be kind to all the other creatures in Bikini Bottom and that this is really a good example of what Jesus is talking about.
The lightbulb went on. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ok.
I don't think I will be able to watch that cartoon in quite the same way again. I will be looking for examples to illustrate the truths I am trying to teach my kids. It's getting them in their culture, walking into their world and speaking in their language. I could get really adult-ish with them and watch them as their eyes glaze over and they fall asleep while sitting there.
It made me think back to another Wednesday evening at church when an older gentleman at church began to complain that the music they were playing in the sanctuary to start off the club event was too loud and then I heard him say, "That's devil music." It was the Newsboys singing a rock rendition of a hymn. Some of the others who were standing around were very offended at his offensiveness and I know that the topic was then discussed at the church council. However, the music was turned down a touch but not changed because what some of the parents in my church have noticed is that the kids we most need to reach and are most at risk of losing to the negative things in our culture were running into the sanctuary, singing at the top of their lungs "Our God Reigns" and they were learning the 10 commandments and by the end of the year, every 3rd through 5th grader could recite all 10 verbatim. That was exciting to me. But if we don't make what goes on inside the church more appealing than what is outside the church, there is a generation that will be lost.
I have had some tough discussions with my 9 year old, BB, who really really REALLY wants a playstation or some other sort of game system and I have adamantly said NO. I began to explain to him my reasoning for it. He pleaded and begged with me. I told him that I have read too many articles about kids getting adicted to video games and then they don't do their homework, they don't go outside to play any more...all they do is play video games and for a child like him, who has ADHD, I have already seen that there is such a draw to that stuff. I limit his time on the computer to 30 minutes a week. And he has a hard time with even that. He invades the other kids while they are on the computer and tries to monopolize their time and take over. What was kind of cute was how he said, "But MOM...won't you please change your mind? I will do all my homework. I will still play outside. I won't be on it all the time. PPPPlllllleeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaassssssssssssseeeeeeeeeee..."
To which I replied, "BB, you don't do your homework now without me breathing down your neck and making sure you do every single thing you are supposed to do. You take over the remote control. You take over the computer. You sneak on the computer when I go to the bathroom. These are all signs that this is not healthy for you. So, I will absolutely NOT ever change my mind."
He was very mad. But he has not asked me about it since. And he has since then been grounded off the computer for sneaking on it when I leave the room and forget to lock my screen.
My take away point is that this is a tough culture to raise kids in. There are so many things that pull at them. I have a hard time keeping up with everything. But I am glad that when I go to church on Wednesday nights, my son is doing a little Riverdance during the story but he is also completely engaged in what he is learning. And all my kids are singing christian songs while running around the house. And now they know that Spongebob is loving his friends like Jesus says to...and he is even loving his enemies.
My kids are big BIG fans of Spongebob Squarepants. It's silly and corny but there are some really good lessons that can be drawn from that cartoon. I told my kids that even though this child was being mean to them, Jesus tells us that we are to love our neighbors and we are to love our enemies. And even Spongebob, who gets picked on all the time by Squidword, continues to love and be kind to all the other creatures in Bikini Bottom and that this is really a good example of what Jesus is talking about.
The lightbulb went on. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ok.
I don't think I will be able to watch that cartoon in quite the same way again. I will be looking for examples to illustrate the truths I am trying to teach my kids. It's getting them in their culture, walking into their world and speaking in their language. I could get really adult-ish with them and watch them as their eyes glaze over and they fall asleep while sitting there.
It made me think back to another Wednesday evening at church when an older gentleman at church began to complain that the music they were playing in the sanctuary to start off the club event was too loud and then I heard him say, "That's devil music." It was the Newsboys singing a rock rendition of a hymn. Some of the others who were standing around were very offended at his offensiveness and I know that the topic was then discussed at the church council. However, the music was turned down a touch but not changed because what some of the parents in my church have noticed is that the kids we most need to reach and are most at risk of losing to the negative things in our culture were running into the sanctuary, singing at the top of their lungs "Our God Reigns" and they were learning the 10 commandments and by the end of the year, every 3rd through 5th grader could recite all 10 verbatim. That was exciting to me. But if we don't make what goes on inside the church more appealing than what is outside the church, there is a generation that will be lost.
I have had some tough discussions with my 9 year old, BB, who really really REALLY wants a playstation or some other sort of game system and I have adamantly said NO. I began to explain to him my reasoning for it. He pleaded and begged with me. I told him that I have read too many articles about kids getting adicted to video games and then they don't do their homework, they don't go outside to play any more...all they do is play video games and for a child like him, who has ADHD, I have already seen that there is such a draw to that stuff. I limit his time on the computer to 30 minutes a week. And he has a hard time with even that. He invades the other kids while they are on the computer and tries to monopolize their time and take over. What was kind of cute was how he said, "But MOM...won't you please change your mind? I will do all my homework. I will still play outside. I won't be on it all the time. PPPPlllllleeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaassssssssssssseeeeeeeeeee..."
To which I replied, "BB, you don't do your homework now without me breathing down your neck and making sure you do every single thing you are supposed to do. You take over the remote control. You take over the computer. You sneak on the computer when I go to the bathroom. These are all signs that this is not healthy for you. So, I will absolutely NOT ever change my mind."
He was very mad. But he has not asked me about it since. And he has since then been grounded off the computer for sneaking on it when I leave the room and forget to lock my screen.
My take away point is that this is a tough culture to raise kids in. There are so many things that pull at them. I have a hard time keeping up with everything. But I am glad that when I go to church on Wednesday nights, my son is doing a little Riverdance during the story but he is also completely engaged in what he is learning. And all my kids are singing christian songs while running around the house. And now they know that Spongebob is loving his friends like Jesus says to...and he is even loving his enemies.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)