John didn’t want to go to school this morning. We were rushed, and couldn’t find any gloves, and he thought he could just go to school wearing a hoodie and not a coat. “But that’s what Megan wears,” he said. Mom won on this one. It’s about 8 degrees out there, and he has to walk to the bus stop and wait, and I don’t want him freezing. He was grumpy, and I was short with him.
As I gave him a kiss and sent him out the door, I started to cry. I watched him walk to the bus with tears streaming down my face, and I’m not really sure why. I guess I’m just hit with the uncertainty of it all. I don’t know what’s going to happen to him for the next three hours. Is the bus driver going to drive safely, are his friends going to be nice to him, is his teacher going to welcome him with loving arms, or is she going to be having a bad day and may get irritated with all those noisy busy Kindergartners? Is he going to have someone to play with during recess, will he be warm enough? And I worried about my other kids, too. Are they going to be strong in the face of temptations? Are they going to be accepted for who they are? Or are they going to be sad during school today? I wanted to just tell him to come back, you don’t need to go to school today. Just stay home with me and play with your Star Wars guys and we’ll watch movies.
I just want to grab all my kids and give them a big huge hug and keep them safe, keep them warm, and keep them happy. We can stay home and drink hot chocolate and play games, not send them off to school where people could be mean to them, or misunderstand them.
Please, Heavenly Father, keep my children safe, keep them warm. Please watch over them when I cannot. Please help them to know they are loved.
You put into words what I think every day. Thanks.
I feel the same way. Thank you for helping me find some perspective today (we had one of those mornings, too).
This was well said. Often I worry these same worries. But it puts things in perspective when we think that’s just how our Father worries about us.
Oh my gosh, you summed that up beautifully. Each and every day I have these same thoughts. It truly is every mother’s prayer.
I tend to think that more on the days when I’ve been short with my kids, and then I realize I’ve just sent them away for half the day, with them being mad at me or down on themselves. I’m glad I get to keep them close for the next two weeks! Let the fun begin! Now we’ll just get on each other’s nerves 🙂