Friday, August 22, 2008

Nag, Nag, Nag!

Ever see this movie? It's such a great line. I remember it from when I was a kid. I loved his movies!

  • Don't forget to bring your towels in!
  • Put your towels and swimsuits on the table, so I can hang them all up!
  • Where is your towel and swimsuit?
  • I said put your towel and swimsuit on the table!
  • Go get your towel and swimsuit!!
  • Pick up your toys!
  • Set the table!
  • Clean up your room!
  • Pick your clothes up!
  • Put them in the wash!
  • Go potty!
  • Who pooped without using toilet paper?
  • You have to use toilet paper!
  • You have to flush!!
  • Find something to do!
  • Leave her alone!
  • Stop bugging him!!
  • Let him play!
  • Clear your table!!
  • Pick that up!

This is all said (by me) within an hour and the rest of the day is very similar! Wow, I'm a nag! I now know why my mom was a nag. Why am I like this? Why can't I just enjoy my children and look lovingly at them and stroke their hair and think only happy thoughts?

Don't get me wrong. I love my children. They are precious gifts from God and I truly love each of them with my whole heart. They are beautiful, smart, healthy and well, just wonderful sometimes! Hey, I'm trying to keep it real here! They fight, bug eachother and they don't listen to me.

I take them swimming, to parks, the library, read to and with them, do art projects and many other cool things. My mom never did any of these things. (which is fine, that's her) SO, I think I get this attitude of "Look at all I do for you!" and expect them to be perfect or something. Deep down, I think it's that I want to be appreciated by them, to feel appreciated by them. No, I didn't walk 5 miles to school up hill and back but I also did not get to do all the fun things they get to do!

I am such a "Martha" wanting to be a "Mary" sitting at our Lords side. Enjoying these beautiful, precious gifts God has given me and that are SO close to Him.

I have a million things on my mind and running through my head. Laundry, supper, (what will I make? When will I start it?), baths, watering flowers, housework, trying to exercise, trying to go to bed early and get up early, trying to follow a schedule, planning school, writing emails back to people, sending packages, my parents, and a ton more! All this is on my mind constantly.

BUT, life is not all about ME!! It's about God. It's about putting Him in the center and loving. Loving all. Doing it all because we Love. Being Love to others. Especially our children. The gifts He's entrusted us with.

Lord, help me to love my children with a pure heart, not a nagging heart. Help me to put my busy-ness aside and be more like Mary instead of Martha.

Lord Make Me A Saint! "Go ahead, make my day" kids, I love you!


6 comments:

  1. This is a good one. Kids are kids. They do that stuff.


    I tend to make it a little harder around my house because my children do have it way too nice.

    I do not want my kids to think life is all about them. Especially all those sports out there. Seems so self-centered. I want my kids to be other-centered.

    We do a lot of service projects through the school helping others out. Now that Zach is in public school I have to find something for him.

    But onto nagging. I do it. Every mother does it. Does it work...probably not. My bottles have been working pretty good. If they leave anything out like clothes, shoes, toys or their own bowl and spoon I just say you lost a candy. Seems to be working for these kids. But your kids are still so little. Give them time. They are so sweet.

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  2. Dear Miss Jamie,

    I don't know how to email you, so I'm posting, hope you can pull this off your posts as my only "nagging" comment is, we all been dere, sistah, and I'm afraid we'll be back-all too soon and all too frequently.

    I saw Immaculee Illabageeza (I'm spelling that wrong, but you know who I mean) listed on your favorite books section as I was scrolling back up to the top of the page. I wanted to invite you to our Marian Eucharistic Congress in Fargo in October (maybe baby Bean/Gabrielle will even be available for viewing by then). She will be speaking sometime during the weekend of 10/11/12 October. I tried earlier this morning for schedule, but couldn't access fargodiocese.org where I usually connect to the Congress.
    I enjoyed really enjoyed everyone's input on toy clean-up the other day, too. Excavating our porch (please, Lord, today?) in hopes of finding some long lost books for school for this year and get through ton of stashed toys for church rummage at St. Mary's. However, another friend just called and said lots (including Miss Sarah-ha-ha-haaaaa) are supposed to get together at park--hmmmm, park or excavate, park or excavate, park or . . .

    May God bless and keep you Miss Jamie,
    Miss Mary (also known around here as Mrs. NO, I did not blow off my porch for the fifth day in a row . . . to go to the PARK!!??!!)

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  3. I wish I could say some profound words to help you, but I think like Christine said, kids will be kids. It's hard when there's so much going on simultaneously around you and everyone's pulling on you. I remember it well. I'll say a prayer for you and your sweet children. Luv, Nerm

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  4. So so familiar. Why do moms have to think of everything? When will the children learn to use their own brains? Do we have to tell them every little thing to do?!

    And sometimes motivational tools do help - to train the will. The "Ticket to Summer" method has improved things around here tremendously. That and changing nags into questions, "What do you think you should do with ____)"

    But still, at the end of the day, after I have been with the kids ALL day, I still want to hug them and kiss them and savor them and it feels so strange that I have missed them all day even though they were right there.

    All part and parcel of motherhood.

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  5. Hi Jamie! This is Erika. I think I am going to have to fine you for using all of my nag phrases. My problem is that my voice gets louder with each one and you didn't indicate that with bold or anything so maybe you're off the hook. Yesterday was a lot of fun - thanks for including me! When I was studying to be a band director the director at UMD said that we could determine what kind of director we wanted to be (task master, delegator (?), encourager, etc. . . When I think back to that discussion I now place my role as mother in the center of that decision: Do I want to lead, encourage, threaten, demand, exact, or what?! Of course we all know what we want we just lose sight of the role model. When I was in college and I saw this director modeling this day in and day out I knew I wanted "that" charisma and ability. However, as a mother I just don't have the daily role model to look up to. Do you know where one is that I can find? Thanks in advance!

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  6. Jamie, by the way, Thank You for the suggestion about the cardboard road. I just happened to have a large box in the garage & Tanner and I cut it open and drew a road with trees, rivers, mountains & more. He loved it! You're one sharp cookie! Nerm

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