Mama, will you marry me?

Joey can drive me crazy one minute and then melt my heart the next. I had a really, really rough afternoon with Joey. He was tired, cranky and I'm sure his eye was still bothering him slightly. He had a rough day at summer camp with some of his friends. Of course, I had to push my luck and try to go grocery shopping tonight. On the way out of the store Joey just lost it. He was crying and grumpy and I admit that I lost my patience. I told him that he needed to change his attitude or he was going to have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich when he got home and then go straight to bed. He was in tears and I was nearly in tears by the time we pulled into the driveway.

Then, something amazing happened. He looked at me and said, "I'm sorry, Mama, you're right. I was really grumpy with you". I almost backed right into our garage door. He recognized he was wrong and then admitted it. I told him that I accepted his apology and I was sorry that I lost my cool with him too. I needed for him to listen to me and to do what I asked the first time I asked, but I apologized for being so frustrated with him. I then asked him if we could pray together which is really what we should have done in the first place. We prayed and he volunteered to help me carry the groceries in. He came in and vegged out on the couch and watched TV while I put the groceries away. After dinner we sat together on the couch for a while and he reached over and held my hand and said, "Mama, I love you. You're the best girl in the whole world." My heart melted. I told him that I loved him too and I loved when he used sweet words with me. I also loved how he had been so good to his brother since we got home.

Later, we went upstairs and I put him to bed and he asked if I could lie down and cuddle with him. I do this with both of my boys on alternating nights. It really was Danny's night, but he was almost asleep anyway so I laid down beside Joey. He kissed my eyes and my cheeks and then he said to me, "Mama, will you marry me when I grow up?" He's asked me this question before and he knows that Mamas can't marry their sons, but I said to him "I would love to marry you someday, but I'm sure there is a wonderful girl out there that's going to steal your heart." He said, "Mama, you already have my heart. I'm not going to give it to anyone else." At this point I had tears in my eyes and I said, "Joey, you have my heart, too."

I must remind myself of that fact each day. He not only has my heart, but I have his heart as well. When you are given someone's heart to guard, that's a huge responsibility. Hearts break so easily. As a parent, I need to take every precaution necessary to protect his heart. I need to watch what he is exposed to and what influences his life. I need to make sure that his heart remains pure as long as it can be. Most importantly, I need to make sure that he is given every opportunity to give his heart to Jesus and he learns to keep his eyes on the Lord. Sometimes as a mom, a feel like I'm overprotective, but I know that a heart can be more fragile than the most fragile glass I have in my china cabinet. When we moved, I wrapped my most fragile glass wear in layers of bubble wrap and newspaper. I must do the same for my kids hearts, however, those layers are all of the things that a wholesome and pure in this world. Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self Control. If I wrap myself in those attributes and my kid's hearts in them, they will grow up to be wonderful people. I'm not saying that my kids will be perfect, but they will hopefully know the difference between right and wrong and will know how to live their lives in following God's will.

"Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons." ~Deuteronomy 4:9