When you feel the pressure comin'

When I was in high school youth group, we sang a song that was probably twenty years old then. It had a seventies vibe. I think it was called "Love Him in the Mornin'." It had hand motions, and only 4 lines.

Love Him in the mornin' when see the sun a-risin'
Love Him in the evenin' 'cause He took you through the day.
And in the in-between times when you feel the pressure comin',
Remember that He loves you and He promises to stay.

Do you know this oldie?

Well, it's on my mind tonight. Because I feel the pressure comin'.

I just bought two big boxes of "cheddar bunnies" and have been portioning them out into snack baggies, ready for packing school lunches on the fly. My husband commented, "You're doing that already?" "Already??!!" I piped up. "School is happening in less than 48 hours!" And then it hit me that I'm feeling a weird pressure.

And not only for the school thing. Tomorrow (Tuesday) is the last day of our summer. And no matter how hard I'm trying, tonight I can't shake the pressure to make it the best day ever for my kids. Which is sort of lame, because we've had an incredible summer, full of fun things. And the facts remain that we need groceries, and gas, and the regular non-exciting world is still turning around us.

Sometimes, and this is going to maybe sound weird, I have a notion stuck in my brain that I should shelter my kids from that mundane life stuff that I have to do because it is not fun for them. I know a few women who don't do ANY chores or errands unless their kids are not with them. They have the luxury of hired help, or situations that allow them that. I understand it's way easier to grocery shop and wait in line at the post office alone. Believe me, I MUCH prefer it at times. But what am I telling my kids about life if I simply provide play time and non-stop entertainment for them?

It's a fine line. Because we all want our kids to be able to remain kids for as long as possible. Children who have to step up to the realities of life too early because an adult isn't functioning at his or her jobs well enough are unfortunate, I think we can all agree. They may learn some valuable lessons through that hardship, but it is not ideal either.

So where's the balance? I usually stick with a mantra of "a little bit of work, a little bit of play" in a day's stretch. I know that's healthy, and so I need to ditch this weird feeling - is it guilt? - for taking them on some non-fun errands tomorrow. Right? What do you do with this dilemma?

I've resorted to bribery at times: "If you guys can endure the grocery shopping and post office, then we can go to the park." But I don't even know if that is necessary. Life is not all fun and games, so why do I feel a weird pressure to make it seem like it is??  I may, in fact, be robbing them of the pleasure of work, and the blessing of accomplishment.  I'm certainly robbing them of a model of a hard-working homemaker when I resort to acting as merely an activities coordinator.

So those are my thoughts. Gosh, I didn't even get to the pressure I feel about school starting! That is another level of pressure and anxiety I'm tempted to feel right now. I clearly need to spend some time with Jesus about this. For now, I'm gonna let the song repeat in my heart....

And in the in-between times when you feel the pressure comin',
Remember that He loves you and He promises to stay.

{say Hi to Amy and the friends at Virtual Coffee today!}