Barefooton45th

The following post is inspired by Tina Fey’s poem, A Mother’s Prayer for Her Child. I created a similar prayer for Anna which can be found here. 

First, Lord, give him patience for his older sister who may take some time to get used to his presence, and will possibly try to push him around in her Target baby doll stroller. As long as there are no major injuries in his first weeks of life, I will call the transition a success.

May he be confident but not cocky, and handsome but not a heartbreaker.

And if when he decides to cut his sister’s hair or rip the arms off her Barbies, I pray you’ll help the entire family to give him a dose of grace. Please also provide us with an incredible hairstylist.

When someday he tells me “I HATE YOU” and then attempts to run away, God, please protect my mama’s heart from taking him too seriously. (Unless, of course, he does run away…in which case…let it just be to a friend’s house where I can pick him up the next morning.)

Oh, Lord! May all smart phones, internet porn, and tobacco shops be extinct by the time he turns 10.

May he raise snakes and salamanders and go to bed dirty sometimes because that’s exactly what little boys should do. And give me an extra dose of patience and plenty of wet wipes to put up with the germs and mess.

Protect him when playing with bb guns, jumping off couches, using a mall bathroom alone for the first time, engaging in hot dog eating contests, test driving motorcycles, experimenting with alcohol, and going skiing with his dad.

If he survives all of these things God, bring him a woman who can put up with farting in bed, occasional whiskey drinking, and Sundays spent on the couch watching football.

And should he grow up and decide to become a father, please make him like his Daddy—brave and hard working and sensitive. I trust that when he looks into his own baby’s eyes for the first time he’ll understand your love and grace in a way he never has before. Please let me be around to see that moment.

Amen.

photo credit: handmaidenbymaria via photopin cc

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A round-up of the web’s best posts about MOTHERS in honor of Mother’s Day this Sunday…

So God Made a Mother:  ”Somebody who would run for the catch, jump on a trampoline and play one fierce game of soccer and not give a thought to all those labors and her weak pelvic floor. Somebody who’d stay up late with a science project that never ends, who’d get up early for the game in the rain, somebody who’d wave at the door until the taillights were out of sight and still be smiling brave. So God made a mother.”

What Your Wife Really Wants For Mother’s Day:  ”She wants a new kind of year. A new kind of perspective that celebrates all of who she is. Not just as a mother, but as a gifted and necessary member of the body of Christ.  And men, that can’t just be a perspective shift for her—it has to come from you too.”

Dear Mom, Thanks for Rocking Those Gigantic Varicose Veins Which I Caused ”Finding a Mother’s Day card that honestly addresses the complexities of motherhood is unexpectedly difficult. This year’s choices include a cheesy “Wind Beneath My Wings” tribute complete with Bette Midler audio track…”

For the Person Who Struggles on Mother’s Day : “On this day, when she is honored for being a mother, beside her there is no child, no card in the mail, no “Happy Mother’s Day” from his lips, no flowers delivered to her doorstep.”

To be a Mother, To be a Daughter : “I love the scene… in which Ruthie stopped trying to fix Hannah, and just … touched her gently on the back, like she used to when Hannah was little. That moment of communion between a mother and her child opened the floodgates of Hannah’s heart, and revealed things to Ruthie that she had not known…”

An Open Letter to Pastors (A Non-Mom Speaks About Mother’s Day): “Here’s the thing, I believe we can honor mothers without alienating others. I want women to feel welcome, appreciated, seen, and needed here in our little neck of the body of Christ.”

From my own writing archives:

All the Good Things In Life I Learned From My Mom

What My Mom Taught Me While Pushing a Car

A Mother’s Prayer for Her Baby Girl

Dear Mom of a Newborn

And a few last minute gift ideas for moms:

Clean her house, or get her a gift certificate to have it cleaned

Tickets to see a play or concert together

For moms of toddlers: The Honest Toddler: A Child’s Guide to Parenting. This book just came out, and if it’s anything like the blog, I’m sure I’ll chuckle through the entire thing.

For moms of young children: time to herself on Mother’s Day

For moms of older/grown children: quality time together as a family on Mother’s Day (but don’t make her plan it!)

To my own mom: I love you, I appreciate you, and I wish I was seeing you on Sunday. I miss you. 

{photo credit to Kelli Jane Photography, taken with my mom and grandma (Amie) when Anna was 6 days old.}

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