Resilience Isn't Resistance
The last couple of weeks have been very eye opening for me as a mom of littles. We all know how resilient kids are. Their ability to move past things and just roll with the punches is something to be envied by adults. Perhaps that's why Jesus frequently talks about how we need to become like children; they have such pure qualities.
With that being said, resiliency does not mean that they are resistant to what is going on in our world right now. I've tried to shield my kids from the worst part of what's happening while also trying to explain it on their level. We've talked about how we can't worship with our church family or go to parks or schools because of the 'nasty germs' that are out there. Emma understands that these germs can make people very sick and we don't want to get them or spread them to others. I forget, though, that even though she may understand on this simple level, that doesn't mean that she doesn't feel the emotional effects of being away from people. I've had 30 years to figure out how to cope with my emotions and find outlets for overflow, but she's only six years old and just starting to become more aware of her feelings.
These emotions came to a head yesterday after her teacher parade at her school. She was excited to get to see her teacher, but her understanding of 'teacher parade' ended up being a misunderstanding. She thought that we would be getting out of the car to walk up and see her teacher. I had to remind her why we can't get out of the car and be close to people. She proceeded to breakdown and shout about how much she wanted the nasty germs to go away. Later during our bedtime prayer, she prayed that God would take away the nasty germs really quick so she can go see her friends and people can come to her house. Consequently, we've held out as long as we could so now my parents are coming for a visit next weekend followed by my brother and his family the weekend after that. It just broke my heart and brought me to tears to see her little heart yearning for some kind of interaction with the outside world!
As much as Rory and I am beyond the point of ready to get out and about, it didn't dawn on me how much more the girls would be ready too. They've been such amazing troopers through all of this and we've tried to keep things as 'normal' as possible. It absolutely breaks my heart when they say that they just want to be able to go to the grocery store as a family again. Things that used to be mundane errands are now outings we long for! As funny as those memes are that talk about "Now I know what a dog feels like when he gets to go on a car ride", there's a not-so-subtle hint of misery in the message. I sat and thought about how much I'm going to cry when I finally get to HUG someone that's not my husband or kids. I've never been a huge hugger, but I think I may just hug everyone after this, awkwardness and all!
My prayer for my kids and all kids throughout the world is that they come out of this with minimal emotional damage. I pray that they have a better understanding of the importance of human contact and don't take the little things for granted. Maybe that's the biggest lesson we can ALL take out of this. Slow down. Take in the little moments. Check your priorities. Above all of that, have faith. No matter what happens, it's all in God's hands, and there are no better hands to shape the future.
God bless!
With that being said, resiliency does not mean that they are resistant to what is going on in our world right now. I've tried to shield my kids from the worst part of what's happening while also trying to explain it on their level. We've talked about how we can't worship with our church family or go to parks or schools because of the 'nasty germs' that are out there. Emma understands that these germs can make people very sick and we don't want to get them or spread them to others. I forget, though, that even though she may understand on this simple level, that doesn't mean that she doesn't feel the emotional effects of being away from people. I've had 30 years to figure out how to cope with my emotions and find outlets for overflow, but she's only six years old and just starting to become more aware of her feelings.
These emotions came to a head yesterday after her teacher parade at her school. She was excited to get to see her teacher, but her understanding of 'teacher parade' ended up being a misunderstanding. She thought that we would be getting out of the car to walk up and see her teacher. I had to remind her why we can't get out of the car and be close to people. She proceeded to breakdown and shout about how much she wanted the nasty germs to go away. Later during our bedtime prayer, she prayed that God would take away the nasty germs really quick so she can go see her friends and people can come to her house. Consequently, we've held out as long as we could so now my parents are coming for a visit next weekend followed by my brother and his family the weekend after that. It just broke my heart and brought me to tears to see her little heart yearning for some kind of interaction with the outside world!
As much as Rory and I am beyond the point of ready to get out and about, it didn't dawn on me how much more the girls would be ready too. They've been such amazing troopers through all of this and we've tried to keep things as 'normal' as possible. It absolutely breaks my heart when they say that they just want to be able to go to the grocery store as a family again. Things that used to be mundane errands are now outings we long for! As funny as those memes are that talk about "Now I know what a dog feels like when he gets to go on a car ride", there's a not-so-subtle hint of misery in the message. I sat and thought about how much I'm going to cry when I finally get to HUG someone that's not my husband or kids. I've never been a huge hugger, but I think I may just hug everyone after this, awkwardness and all!
My prayer for my kids and all kids throughout the world is that they come out of this with minimal emotional damage. I pray that they have a better understanding of the importance of human contact and don't take the little things for granted. Maybe that's the biggest lesson we can ALL take out of this. Slow down. Take in the little moments. Check your priorities. Above all of that, have faith. No matter what happens, it's all in God's hands, and there are no better hands to shape the future.
God bless!
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