After all, I have three precious boys and all three of them have completed the blessed rite of passage into childhood....
If you have heard me speak before at a conference or Mother's group, you'll remember very clearly, why I support preschool. You see, I write a check to a wonderful organization each month so that my boys will have a loving environment for a few hours each day.
Because mom is done.
D-O-N-E.
Done making homemade playdoh, done with Diego Memory Games, done making the stuffed animals talk over and over and over again. I mean, I don't mind getting down on the floor, but c'mon... I've been doing this since the kiddo needed tummy time! I've been living my life in 15 minute increments- ensuring my child was properly stimulated, kept safe, learning his ABC's and preparing for standardized testing for THREE YEARS NOW. Give the mom a break!
I think Preschool is a way better return on investment than mommy and baby therapy sessions at the family psychatrist. And without preschool, that's exactly where we might end up!
In fact, when we found out we would be relocating to Austin, TX this summer, my first two google searches were "Homes for Sale in Austin" and "preschools near Steiner Ranch." No joke.
And so it goes, the first day of preschool for my last child. I'm early. We're ready. I've had the day circled on the calendar. (You might be thinking "calloused, cold mama".... but at least I'm honest.) You same people should be relieved to know that I cried like a baby as soon as I walked into my staff meeting at Expression Church that morning. Okay, so it only lasted 5 minutes and it wasn't "blow your nose worthy" crying but there were definitely alligator tears. I mean... this was my last, first day of preschool!!!!
So we've been grooving at preschool for about a month now... and it's my son's favorite part of the day to greet his teacher. Thank goodness the second favorite thing to do is run into my arms when it's over! So far, I've consistently impressed with what preschool teachers can draw out of youngsters this age. How they memorize new songs, learn to hold scissors without taking out an eye and get along with 12 other mini-human strangers blows my mind. Truly, preschool teachers are a gift from God!
Well... all was going well and then it happened.
If you have had a preschooler before you know what is coming next.
My child has been polluted.
By other children.
Ugh.
You know what I'm talking about. Preschool is just as much academic as it is learning how to navigate this big world on a social level. And that means you are going to be exposed to different children who come from different families and just do things differently. So our sheltered little kiddos get sent off from our small, isolated worlds of the house and wham!, they are exposed to all the cultures, values and habits of other children. Which, can be a great thing. But not always.
First my son came home with the "defy authority" habit. He smacks his fist on the table and tells me that I'm "making him so mad." If you know me at all, it made me laugh at first because it was so out of character- but it was promptly dealt with and it really only lasted 2 days.
Then we had the sudden speech issue because we wanted to be just like our friend at school. I had to explain that God was still teaching our new friend how to say her letters but that WE were going to use our words to help her along. (My middle son took 6 years to pronounce his "L's" correctly, which was fine and I was used to it. But to go "backwards" and have your child come home talking like Ming-Ming on the Wonder Pets was like nails on a chalkboard!)
Yesterday's gift was my child deciding he was only going to talk like a dog... just like his other new friend at school. I have no more words to say about this subject.
Today as I was getting some much needed, often too distracted from, quiet time (what does that even mean anymore, right?) I decided to read Ephesians in my bible. I love the message Bible, btw... tell it how it is, Hey-Seus.
Anyhoo... ( I can tell my blood sugar is getting low, I'm getting random.)
I came across a passage that resonated with me:
"It wasn’t so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn’t know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It’s a wonder God didn’t lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us! Then he picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah."
At first, it really reminded me of my son at preschool. It's like his little body took in this polluted air of defiance, of speech difficulty, etc., and exhaled disobedience. And c'mon, let's be real... it's not like I'm up here preaching that my son was a runner up for the Messiah and now he's walking around as the towne square bully. No, not at all... but he fell subject to a world that isn't perfect... he took it all in... and kept some of it for himself. He "tried on" what other kids were wearing to see how it would work for him.
But this is what really struck me.....
We do it too. Whether we are followers of Christ or not.
We allow the world to fill up our lungs and we exhale it's impurities. I'm not going to name what air you are breathing in... because it's different for all of us.
For me personally, I find it all too easy to take in the act of gossiping and judgement. It goes on all around me, church attendee or not, Christian or not. I find myself assimilating towards it; pretty soon, I've adopted it... just as easy as my son coming home and barking instead of talking! Sometimes it's as easy as just doing whatever I "felt" like... (see passage above.) How many times do I so easily fall into the snare of watching others lavishly shop beyond their means, talk down their husbands or watch inappropriate movies... and then think that it is okay to do that myself???
Friends, beware of the enemy who stalks around like a lion, seeking to destroy! His best ploy is sneakiness. You remember the tree of life, right?
He lies!
So don't think you are safe from the oxygen of the world.... of "culture." Don't chalk it up to something like, "It's just the way it is these days" or "I want my kids (substitute yourself) to fit in."
In His love... he shows us mercy and envelops us in His embrace. Resist air from any other Source! Drink in THAT oxygen and be refreshed today.
Hey, would love to hear from you! Please leave a comment if that spoke to you...share with a friend or leave me a comment if YOU have one of those great preschool "pollution" experiences!
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