Delight in the little Ones

Tell us about your Moments of Grace from this past week.  Where did you and God finally meet up in your day to day?

One of  my daughters  just had her first baby, a boy who looks just like his Scottish grandfather and his father. Declan ( Gaelic meaning Good Man) looks exactly like both of them. No mistaking this little fellow for a girl!

Last Sunday, when  he was 12 days, all sixteen of us gathered for another daughter's birthday. It was a celebration of joy, laughter and grace. All we did was take turns holding Mary’s new born and laughing with our 18 month old granddaughter.

Both babies were THE centre of attention. We were all enchanted, delighted and happy to simply enjoy these little ones.When parents love and rejoice with every new birth and delight in the antics of their babies, older children are formed to love and respect new life.

Take Eva's Dad,  our son, for example.

Just after his daughter’s birth, my son turned to his dad and said,

”Dad, I think that this is the best thing that I have ever done in my life.”

And as his little daughter lay sleeping on his chest, Daniel said,

”Now I know why you and Dad had so many Kids.

Temper Tantrum?

babies are completely dependant on their caregiver

My first thought is to pity the child, not the mother.

As a mother of nine kids, people often ask me,

"How on earth did you manage without any help? "
If I had to divulge one secret that I was fortunate enough to discover early in my mothering career, it would be,
"Never let them get tired and never let them get hungry."

There is a universal image stuck in our brains of a screaming toddler throwing a tantrum on the floor of a grocery store. Even the best parent becomes a helpless victim in these situations because nobody is as miserable and disagreeable as a hungry and irritable baby, toddler, or small child.

When I see a toddler throwing a temper tantrum, my first thought is,

"That poor kid, not that poor mother."

To mothers of little children: Do you want well-behaved kids?

"Never let them get hungry and never let them get tired."

Trust me, ignoring bedtime, naps or snacks and meals either to shop, talk on the phone or visit a friend simply is NOT worth the aggravation of dealing with upset little people, afterwards. When I ignored the warning signs that my kids were reaching their limits of endurance, I created either a clingy, irritating wimp or a screaming monster.Then nothing I did or said seemed to help the situation.

I might have looked like a self-sacrificing mother but I was merely acting out of a sense of self-preservation when I put my kids needs first. No time for resentment because happy and satisfied kids were worth every sacrifice I made. The peace was worth any compromise.

One niece once told me that many people had given her advice when she became a new mother but the only thing she always remembered and practiced was,

"Never let them get tired and never let them get hungry."