"Mama in Training" or "No"

It was afternoon at the Walker home. Some were doing school, some were playing games, one was crawling around on the floor and one was bored. The bored one decided to be a "mama in training." What looks like an e-bay ad (see above photo) is actually Katie's creative and time consuming activity. She went into her room, pulled out all of Larah's 'too small' clothes from a tub (I love tubs) and hung them all on hangers. She brought each piece out, one by one, for inspection and I gave the anticipated compliments........"Perfect", "Great", "Fantastic", "Wonderful", "Awesome", "Keep it up", etc. Upon completion of hanging the clothes on hangers, she then, oh so carefully and skillfully, decorated our hallway cabinets and drawers.

At the beginning of her "being mama" I was complaining in my mind, "What a mess. Why is she doing this...to me? Why can't she sit down and color? Why must I have to fold all these clothes and put them back away? Can't my house stay neat for just one minute?" It is always my first reaction to say no...or in this case, put the clothes away. A great character flaw, but one I am working diligently to overcome. So after contemplating her busyness, I gave in. I allowed her to continue 'making a mess'. The satisfaction she was receiving for doing such a great job would have been crushed if I would of had her put away the clothes, not make a mess, keep the house clean. What Katie was doing that afternoon was training to be a mama.

My prayer for Katie, Larah and Cayla is that they will be a mom someday...that they will have the privilege and desire to be at home...that they will have the joy of daughters making messes and decorating the house and that their first response won't always be no.