Monday, September 05, 2011

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.

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

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10 comments:

  1. This is just my opinion, and I totally don't mean to add more pressure to you or anything! Just sharing thoughts here....I think it's good to give kids some responsibilities (ones appropriate to their age) because if you do everything for them and hide all the work, 1) you'll end up overworked and overwrought, and 2) they won't know how to do for themselves as they get older. There is much to be said about letting them learn the joy of a job well done and there can be fun ways to do "work" together. :)

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  2. oh i feel this kind of pressure every day. i'm sure i place it on myself. i'm learning as my kids get older (and don't need to be tangibly rewarded for good behavior) that their reward is my delight in them. i think they like that better than ice cream, candy or a trip to the park... well almost as much.

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

    now, i'll be singing this and adding the hand motions, too.

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  3. I can so relate to this... I feel that pressure sometimes too. And I don't know if it's guilt or what it is. I think balance is definitely the best, though. Play_ some not so fun things_ and responsibility... so that they're well-rounded when time to fly on their own..:)

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  4. My kids complain so much when they have to run errands with me. I try to avoid bringing them along, but there are times when we have to do it together. I give them jobs to keep them occupied. Afterwards, I'm so glad they came and had a chance to see that it is important to help each other with tasks.

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  5. Amen, Leslie! I strive to find a good balance, too. I do love a leisurely stroll through Target--by myself--but avoiding ever taking my children there is doing them a disservice.

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  6. I love that line! "when you feel the pressure coming..." I'm feeling that, and I so appreciate the reminder that he is here to stay, no matter what those in between time holds. I always try to balance all of our days work with rest and refreshment, because I know I cann't be running on the must do list all day...I need to rest and refresh my soul and I figure my kids do too.

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  7. Oh, don't stress yourself out. Kids need to experience EVERYTHING from the mundane to the exciting. It's the sum of our experiences that help make us who we are. If you shelter them too much their experiences will be skewed and not a perfect circle. And a trip to Target can be as much fun as a trip to the park...can you say cart racing...AWESOME!

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  8. The last few days before school started, I was a raging crazy lady. I felt awful that we were ending summer on such a bad note. But when I looked back and realized what a fun, action packed summer we had, I really didn't feel so bad! My advice: start scrolling through your archives..you will feel better! And YES kids should have to endure errands & chores!!

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  9. I found your blog through Splendor and I'm so glad I did!

    Loving that hat, by the way!

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  10. I love that song... and the hand motions, too. :)

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