The Recliner

We have a recliner. It's a Lazyboy. It's old and tattered and stained and blue.......and warm and cozy and perfect and full of memories. We rocked all of our babies in it. I nursed all of them in it. We read to all of them in it. We watched TV in it.........the list goes on. As old as it is, I'm hoping it lasts for me to rock my grandbabies in it!

We have a recliner. It's a Lazyboy. It's old and tattered and stained and blue.......and warm and cozy and perfect and full of memories. We bought it when I was pregnant with our oldest child. We moved it to 3 different states. We spent many nights in it with sick kids. We rocked our children every night for about 10 or so years in it. We missed it when we lived without it for a year. We moved it to College Station when our children began their lives as Aggies, so they could take a little piece of home with them. We still have a recliner. It's a Lazyboy. It's old and tattered and stained and blue.......and warm and cozy and perfect and full of memories.

Our hope as parents is that our kids remember the good and forget the mistakes. Remember when we were "getting it" as parents and forget the times we were wrong. Remember warmth and are drawn to the family when they go away. Is there something - a tradition, a habit, a phrase, a piece of furniture, a book............that feels like "home" for your kids? I'm sure there is. All families have them. Take hold of your "recliner" and don't give it up. Make it a habit to do a warm and cozy memory making thing every week with your PeeWees for as long as they will let you.

I asked my kids what they thought of when they thought of the recliner. I wanted to make sure the memories weren't just mine. After 22 years with the recliner, they said:

• comfort, peace, calmness
• sleep, relaxation, massages
• Whenever I was sad or anything, Dad would rock me in the rocker and play with my hair and scratch my back.
• I remember rocking Maggie to sleep when she was a puppy.
• Mom and I would rock and wait for my bus to come.
• We would massage Dad's back and brush his hair.

They may not remember everything that I remember. But they do remember.............We have a recliner. It's a Lazyboy. It's old and tattered and stained and blue.......and warm and cozy and perfect and full of memories. Do you?

Is Your PeeWee From Mars???

I saw some Martians in PeeWeeVille last week. They looked like this:

• A 2 year old crawled on all 4's all the way out of the building


• A 4 year old stood and made the loudest, most annoying sound possible for about 60 seconds straight, paused, then did it again, over and over.....


• A 3 year old cried to get out of the classroom, then cried to get back in


• Another 3 year old proudly announced to everyone in the hall: Mommy, I didn't bite anyone today!


• A 2 year old gritted her teeth, then pushed her friend down the slide


• A Walker with his right thumb in his mouth, and his left pointer in his nose


• A Walker who cried for his Dad and then cried harder when Dad arrived to take him home.

Kids can be weird. Kids do act like aliens from another planet. Kids can make you say:

• Why did you do that?


• What made you think that was a good choice?


• Where did you learn that?


• Why did you do that?


• Are you serious?

But when you stop and think about it.........they are pretty new to this planet. Preschoolers are months - maybe 4 years out of the womb, and we expect them to walk, talk, eat, potty, act like humans, and not be strange. I've been 48 years on this planet, and I still do things that make me go........seriously I can't believe I just said that.

Sometimes we need to give kids and each other the space to grow and mature and be who God created us to be. Sometimes we need to guide this growth. Sometimes we need to marvel at the wonder of God's creativity that we are all different and a little strange sometimes. Sometimes we need to correct Martian behavior because it is bad behavior. Sometimes these Martian outbursts provide the perfect opportunity to love on our kids and be thankful they landed in our family.

That is the hard job of parenting, deciding which to do, and then following through with it. How do you know which to do?

• Is it hurtful to someone else? Then correct it
• Is it cute or funny to others? Then laugh and go on, which sometimes means getting over your pride issue.
• Will it prevent him from being the adult God created him to be? Then show him a better way to behave or communicate.
• Is it inappropriate for her age? Then help her to put the behavior behind her and grow a little.

Is your PeeWee ever from Mars?

Simple Lessons

Yesterday I witnessed some very brave parents. I was watching the counter where new parents register. These parents were amazing. They confidently listened as the security procedures were explained. They looked around the building and made a quick assessment of cleanliness and orderliness. Then came the amazing part............with confidence, they

• said goodbye to their precious PeeWee
• gave hugs and told them they would have fun
• left.......and went into the adult service to listen and learn themselves

And perhaps the best lesson they taught their PeeWee that day........TRUST because they returned! Those PeeWees were so blessed to have parents like that. Those PeeWees learned about God in an environment they were comfortable in because their parents had blessed it. Then, they learned trust, because mom and dad returned just like they said they would.

Wow.........lots of lessons in a seemingly simple exchange. That is the life with PeeWees. Lessons in every simple exchange and every simple activity, every single day.