Were any of you glued to the TV set over the weekend watching the Olympics? Ice and snow are truly exotic to our children, so we all relished the skating and skiing.

We loved watching the Italians capture the gold medal in last night’s cross-country event. The Detroit Free Press describes Giorgio di Centa’s victory with this great sentence: “The horde of Italian fans lingered, savoring one last moment of Olympic triumph.” (I love the words linger and savor, don’t you?)

Yet I had this strange realization as I watched the dazzling figure skaters while humbly wiping down crumb-covered countertops. It finally sank in that I will NEVER be in the Olympics! It’s too late — I’m not good at any sport and now I’m too old! I mulled over that idea for a while as I watched the athletes experience their lifetime moment of glory.

You see, when I was growing up, I just knew that I was bound for the Olympics. It wasn’t a matter of IF; it was a matter of WHEN! I was quite serious about gymnastics when I was in elementary and middle school, and my teammates and I all had Olympic aspirations. In fact, we figured there would be some year in the 80s when the whole Olympic team would be our squad!

I turned in school homework assignments covered in Olympic-ringed doodles. My friends and I made medals and certificates for each other: Gold Medals on the Balance Beam and Floor, Silver on the Bars, and Bronze on the Vault (never was very good at that.) Those were my childhood dreams!

But just as I was feeling a bit disappointed, I happened to visit one of my favorite blogs, Simplifying Motherhood, written by Trish Berg. She’s come up with a whole new set of Olympic sporting events in which participants must all be moms. One new event she proposes will be “The Laundry Marathon:”

Each participant will be given twenty-four hours and two tons of dirty, stained clothes, unsorted. Their goal will be to sort, wash, dry and fold as many loads of laundry as they can in one twenty-four hour period. The winner is the mom who finishes the most laundry by tonnage, and who can still see straight.

I’m in training for that one now, as well as another Olympic-worthy thrill, “The Speed Shopping Commute:”

Each mom will be given four obnoxious kids (not hers of course), all under eight years old. She will have to load them into the minivan, head to the grocery store, and buy everything on her shopping list. Then, she has to get the kids and the groceries back into the house safely while walking on a sheet of ice in her driveway. Points will be deducted for every bag of M & M’s she gives the kids to keep them quiet at the store, and for slipping on the ice.

You’ll have to visit Trish’s site to read the rest of her hilarious post, The Motherhood Olympics. And while you’re there, stop in to say hello! Trish is an expert at making me feel better about myself, about mothering, and about life.

P.S. I gotta thank Kelsey at Holy Mama! for my new Bible Promise graphic in my sidebar. I followed the link from her site and discovered that I’m known as a “webmaster.” Someone has made it simple for you to add a customized daily scripture box to your site. My daughters helped me pick out the colors — although of course they wanted bright magenta and violet (sorry — didn’t look good on my site). The fun thing is that the scripture changes every day! And I don’t even have to do anything! Thanks, Holy Mama!

I read this quote when I opened up Timothy Smith’s book, Connecting With Your Kids: How Fast Families Can Move from Chaos to Closeness. From the very first page, I saw our family between the covers — he was talking to me. I’m the one who manages our family schedule, and it was the perfect timing to hear some straight talk from a professional family coach.

Smith uses the analogy of a runner finding the right pace throughout the book, which he calls “discovering your heartprint.” The four types of heartprints are the cruiser, the walker, the runner, and the biathlete. When members of your family run at different paces, you can see how it’s difficult to move forward together.

I think the material in this book is as revolutionary as Gary Chapman’s Five Love Languages, which is still on the bestseller list the last time I checked. People love reading books by counselors who regularly meet with families in crisis — we’re all looking for solutions, and it helps to see how others handle life.

I enjoyed learning how families all have different paces. As a mom, I’ve realized my pace has had to change in the past few years and sometimes it drives me crazy. I’m a “runner” — I like to move fast and get a lot accomplished. But the more our family has grown, I’ve had to slow down. Babies and small children get sick and have to stay home to recuperate; pregnancy can be nine months of exhaustion; and traveling with children requires days of planning and packing.

This book reminded me that it’s OK to operate in seasons. My main role is to help introduce our children to a relationship with Christ — even if they don’t become Olympic athletes, Carnegie-hall-bound musicians, or academy-award-winning stars. Do they know Jesus personally? Do they love Him? Will they obey Him on their own when they grow up?

Connecting With Your Kids is pefect for group discussions because it’s got “Parent-to-Parent” and “Parent and Child” questions at the end of each chapter. I’ve mentioned to several people this would be a GREAT book for Sunday School or Bible Study.

[This book was sent to me from Mind & Media as a gift from the publisher.]

I also put on my best Sunday-shoe words and wrote a spiffy review of this book for Christian Book Previews, which has been cross-posted on Amazon.

P.S. I must add:
THIS BOOK HAS AN ADORABLE COVER!! DON’TCHA LOVE IT?

We’re chatting with author Mary Demuth again in southern France, though today she’s invited us in for coffee in her lovely French home. If you missed the first part of our interview, you can read it here.

Thanks for joining us at the blogging Carnival yesterday. I’m still full from all that Comfort Food. Now we’re ready for something to read. You’ve recently published two new books for parents. Can you tell us a little about your first one, Ordinary Mom, Extraordinary God?

I wrote that book because I was tired of books written for Christian moms and women that were dumbed down and foofy. I wanted an intelligent devotional for moms, one that challenged them at their deepest levels both spiritually and intellectually. It’s written in conjunction with Hearts at Home ministries.

Foofy! Yes, we’re tired of foofy! But why should a mom want to read your book? Are you going to tell us what it’s like to have it all together and make those of us who are scrambling to get through a day feel guilty?

Yes, of course. Parenting should be all about guilt and how terrible we are at measuring up. (laughing) No, seriously. That book is about grace. About running to Jesus when we fail. About the beauty of the journey of parenthood. I pray it is a cup of cold water to moms who are worried and stressed and harried and guilt-ridden.

Sounds refreshing. And I love the title. I’m truly one of those ordinary moms realizing what an extraordinary God we serve. So, what about your latest book that just came out last month — Building the Christian Family You Never Had. It says it’s a “Practical Guide for Pioneer Parents.” Can you tell us what you mean by pioneer parent?

A pioneer parent is a person who grew up in a home she doesn’t want to duplicate. It’s for any parent who fears she’ll make the same mistakes her parents made. It’s for those of us who don’t exactly know what a Christian home looks like because we didn’t see it modeled.

I like the quote you used in the preface of the book from George Bernard Shaw: “If you cannot get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance.” Later, you say, “God is our Pioneer Parent, who dances the path before, behind, and beside us.” It seems like your attitude is that you can’t change the past, but you can start fresh with your own family. Is that true?

Yes, it’s true. But starting fresh does involve some pain. We must first look at our past, tell the truth about it, forgive our parents, and allow Jesus to heal us. Then we can start fresh. But healing precedes that new path.

What advice do you have for pioneer moms and dads who feel unsure about raising kids since they grew up in a dysfunctional family? Can you offer them any words of encouragement?

I hope so. This is what God has taught me — something spectacular actually: Our weakness in parenting — all those fears that we’ll duplicate the homes we were raised in — is actually a benefit. Because pioneer parents are keenly aware of our own inabilities, it puts us at an advantage. Because we’re well acquainted with our own lack, we are more apt to run to Jesus for help. So, the hope is, God can be strong in our weakness. Because we know we’re weak, we’re at an advantage, because God loves to work through that weakness.

Wow. That’s something I’m going to have to remember. You talk a lot about healing in this book, as you’ve had some emotional scars from your past. But you also give us ideas of fun things to move forward as a family. Can you tell us about some of your family celebrations that are unique?

We play ‘high low’ around the dinner table every night. We share one high and one low from the day. It’s an expected ritual. It helps us all focus on what happened during the day and also gives us a glimpse into our children’s lives. We also have a prayer blackboard where we list our prayer requests. It’s fun to watch God answer those prayers.

Those are great ideas! We’ll have to try the high/low thing around our table. In your book, you have a chapter called “A Funny Thing Happened While Raising My Kids.” Can you tell us how the role of laughter plays in building up a strong Christian family? What if we’re not comedians?

Laughter is key. Most pioneer parents grew up far too fast and have lost that child-like wonder at the world. I’m far too serious, but I’m learning to let my hair down. I’m certainly not a comedian. But my kids are. One of the things I do is write down all the funny things my kids say so we can remember them. Having fun with our kids is a natural offshoot of learning to take life less seriously.

I love the idea of a notebook — thanks for the reminder. What’s the funniest thing that’s happened to you since living in France?

It’s a long story, but you can read all about it in my blog.

Do you write every day? How do you balance your career with your family?

Yes, I write every day. I have a schedule. I usually write about 20-30 hours a week depending on my deadline. I try not to let my writing interfere with my children, as I write while they’re in school. It’s still hard for me, though, to pull myself away from the computer when I’m in the middle of a thought or idea. I’m learning.

You seem to have an interest in helping out new writers. Can you tell us a little about the newsletter you write every month? How can we sign up for it?

It’s called the RelevantProse Newsletter and comes in the inbox the first of every month. It’s usually about 8 pages long, full of practical writing advice and spiritual insights. I write about the business and craft of writing. You can sign up for it on my website.

And now, to wrap things up, can you tell us your best piece of advice on making our home Christ-centered?

Pray. Be authentic. Apologize to your children when you yell. Pray some more.

Wow. How inspiring! Thanks for sharing so many great ideas with us, Mary. Your books look like wonderful resources for parents. Au revoir.

Au revoir!

A Mom 2 Mom reader sent me a question that I didn’t know how to answer. So I found an expert, Brenda Nixon, who’s written a book on how to deal with behavior in young children.

Question:

I’d really love to get your opinion about a situation we have with our 3- year old, if you wouldn’t mind. He is ALL BOY! I know that little boys have an aggressive energy about them by nature and they are more physical in their interaction, etc. However, I am having a hard time channeling his energy for the good and not getting frustrated with him. He is just being really aggressive with the other kids in his preschool class and with me at home. He is pushing, pinching, talking back to me, and his favorite is to just run into someone with the full force of his whole body. When I got pregnant with him I felt the Lord give me a specific word for him: “strong”. That has been true in every aspect of his personality since day one. I want him to keep his wonderful strength of heart and mind and body but I am running out of ideas as to how to help him have an obedient spirit. My family has anger issues in our past and I already see that coming out in him a little bit. I am just trying to get as much advice as I can so I don’t show him anger when administering discipline. I would love to know if you have any suggestions.

Here’s what Brenda says:

Often, 3-year olds are becoming more independent and have lots of energy. You are right in wanting to channel this to be expressed in positive, appropriate ways. If he is a first-born he’s probably a perfectionist and strong leader. Many of our U.S. presidents were first-born children.

To help your son, always make sure you’re a good role model. When you are excited or frustrated, keep calm. During discipline times, stay matter-of-fact and don’t scream at him. Remember, your son is watching YOU — his most influential teacher. You might say things like, “I feel frustrated. I’m going to exercise or take a bath.” This teaches your son two things: everyone has powerful emotions, and there are appropriate ways to exhaust them.

It’s admirable you want him to keep his strength of heart and mind and body, but being his first and most influential teacher, you must also teach him to respect others. Pushing, pinching, talking back, and running full force into someone in preschool might cause physical and mental anguish to the others so it cannot be tolerated. Talk with his teacher to come up with a mutual plan on how to end this aggression. He needs to learn appropriate ways to channel his feelings. Preschoolers need patience and persistent, calm correction.

At home, help his language development by reading lots of books. When children learn to use words they will express themselves with words rather than actions, like running into people. Check out books from your local library and make some of them on feelings. Kids love to be read to, so read a book to your son during neutral, non-aggressive, times when he’ll be more receptive to the lesson you’re trying to teach. All feelings come from God. There’s nothing wrong with feelings – only how we use them.

Since you say your family has anger issues in your past, then I might also suggest you see a family counselor for other behavior management techniques.

Brenda Nixon is a parenting speaker, columnist, and author of Parenting Power in the Early Years and Writers Who Speak.

Wow — I think no matter what age our children are, she’s given us some great ideas. Thanks for stopping in, Brenda!

Something funny happened this week that involves this book. A friend of mine bought A Mom Just Like You for herself and read through the first couple of chapters, but then she felt like God was saying to her, “You need to give this book to Heather.”

So she did! As a belated birthday gift. And I had to laugh and tell her “great minds think alike” because I love this book! In fact, I bought it four years ago and read it cover to cover — devouring it like hot brownies out of the oven. Then I loaned it out a couple of times, and a friend returned it to me last summer.

So, I told her I’d “loan” her my new book permanently, so she could finish it and we could talk about it. Then I thought, “Well, maybe I’m supposed to write about this in my blog.” Is there a mom out there who could use some encouragement? Is there anyone struggling with the issue of … family size? A Mom Just Like You is written by Vickie Farris (with her daughter Jayme), and she’s the mother of ten kids.

Well, in my pre-blogging days, I wrote a bunch of reviews on Amazon, and so I decided to review this book. And while I was looking it up, I discovered some people didn’t like it. Well, I had to differ on their opinion. So here’s what I wrote:

I can’t understand the other reviewers who write negatively about this book. The title is absolutely perfect! It’s not supposed to be a practical how-to guide; it’s a journey, a very personal peek into the life of a large, successful homeschooling family. Mrs. Farris bravely tells the story of how she came to be the mother of ten children and why they chose to homeschool.

I’ve heard Michael Farris speak before, and I too wondered what kind of a woman could possibly mother and teach ten children. So that’s why I bought the book to begin with. Mrs. Farris writes, “I am a very normal mom who happens to have a very visible, talented, and energetic husband … I struggle regularly with feeling overwhelmed … I am very much a mom like you. And from one normal mom to another, let me just tell you that God is faithful …” (Her husband is a successful attorney, the founder of the Home School Legal Defense Association, founder of Patrick Henry College, professor, author of several non-fiction books and novels, and has won many awards.)

The theme of her story is that God alone can enable and give grace for a person to accomplish anything. Mrs. Farris grew up as a shy, only child who had little practice in domestic arts or caring for children. She even admits that she is a “scaredy cat” when her husband is away traveling. Yet she uses her weaknesses to draw on God’s strength.

The book encompasses her journey of child-bearing, beginning with the birth of her first daughter, and ending with her new role as grandmother. She goes into great detail about how she and her husband made the decisions that led them along this path.

While listening to a Focus on the Family radio show, she became interested in homeschooling. Later, it was through reading a magazine article as well as Mary Pride’s book, The Way Home, that she changed her views on planning the size of her family.

The whole book is funny and encouraging. We see her youngest son jumping off the coffee table. We agonize with her as she is planning a wedding while still taking care of a child in the middle of the night. We see how her daily afternoon walks help her stay sane and refreshed.

She explains the Farris’ principles of child-rearing; mainly, “our ultimate goal is not to raise children, but to raise adults.” She discusses the delicate balance between rights and responsibility as children move through different ages. This wisdom is so helpful for moms in the trenches with young kids (like me).

The last two chapters are extremely inspirational, and for anyone who is planning a mother/daughter speech or tea, these chapters offer you great ideas. She quotes another of my favorite authors, Elisabeth Elliot, who says, “None of the gifts of my own life — not my “career” or my work or any other gift — is higher or more precious to me than that of being someone’s mother.”

I’ve read this book through twice, and I plan on reading it again — sorry, I can’t loan you my copy. (Order it through your local Christian bookstore, and give them some business!) One more thing about this book: although Mrs. Farris does hold certain beliefs about family planning, she doesn’t come across as judgmental. I personally believe this is a decision that husbands and wives should make together as a couple, after much prayer and seeking God about it. This book will give you one point of view; it’s up to you to research and make the wisest choice — for your family.

This is a quick post for moms who are taking care of babies under age 2. (Beyond hang in there.)

The other day, I did something that I wouldn’t have done if I hadn’t been taught. It went against my natural (lazy) instinct of doing what is the least difficult.

I was washing the breakfast dishes before we all dashed off to a basketball game. My 9-month-old has reached this new stage where she’s extremely sociable and wants someone to play with her constantly. This past month, she’s been demanding wanting more of my attention.

So, as I washed dishes, she began to fuss. I stopped what I was doing, interacted with her a few seconds, and gave her something new to play with. Still fussy. I next tried putting her in her high chair with a few cheerios — which she didn’t want. I tried something novel to her — a stainless steel pot and wooden spoon — which she didn’t want. It was too early for a nap. And everyone else was busy running around getting on their uniforms for the game.

This gave me four choices:
1. Keep working and ignore her cry — not an option as her crying was very loud!
2. Hold her while I did my chores — I can’t do that these days because I know it’s bad for my back to carry weight while I’m bending. Plus, I can’t work fast!
3. Put her somewhere safe where she can cry without me hearing.
4. Ignore my chores and play with her. This is the area I’m dealing with as I work on keeping my home organized. I really didn’t want to leave the house with dishes piled up in the sink. I knew I’d have plenty of time to play with her once we got to the game.

I opted for number 3, which goes against the grain of what modern parents are told to do. I took her to the playpen we’ve set up in our bedroom, next to a sunny window. She has several interesting toys to play with and a musical string toy that she can pull to listen to Winnie the Pooh. I put her in the playpen, said a few pleasant words to her, then set my timer for 15 minutes and went back to my kitchen work.

Was she happy? No. She cried…very loud. I knew she was safe, and I knew I wanted to leave the house with a clean kitchen. So I let her cry. After four very long minutes, she stopped. While I loaded the dishwasher, wiped down counters, swept the floor, and returned lost items to their rooms, she played and cooed on her own.

I went to check on her when my timer went off and she was still playing happily. So I even had time to get dressed and ready. After several more minutes, we left. Happy baby. Happy mom. Clean kitchen.

I’m not saying this to make myself look like I have it all together. I’m writing this to say this doesn’t come naturally to me — and I’ve read hundreds of magazine articles that would say I should forget the dishes and go play with Baby. But I did play with her — a lot — when I didn’t have things I needed to do. It felt great to come home to my shiny sink.

I feel compelled to write this to someone out there — a new mom perhaps — who might be feeling stressed out because you never have a chance to be alone. Even when you’re only caring for one baby, the demands of this role can be exhausting! You can’t leave a child alone for even five seconds once they reach the mobile stage.

I know not everyone will agree with me. I’ve read in so many places about moms who think playpens are horrible contraptions. But we’ve used a playpen with our four older children — and now our baby is learning to use one too.

What are the advantages? Besides a mom or other caregiver having a few minutes alone, the baby will be learning to entertain herself and play creatively — without anyone else around. Can you see where this leads? A baby who can play alone in peaceful contentment will later become a child who can handle “quiet time” alone.

How many adults do you know who can’t handle a few minutes of quiet time alone? It all starts with a little bit of training.

If you use a playpen, be sure it meets safety standards. Old playpens can collapse or have slats that are too wide. You should also check to make sure your playpen hasn’t been recalled. Sadly, many accidents have happened from playpen use. Kids in Danger is a website I discovered that offers many details about safety.

Here’s a book I read last summer that I’d love to share with you. If you’re looking for something to curl up with by the fire this winter, then Carol Kent and Ellie Kay have a real treat for you. Some of these stories were so hilarious, I was laughing out loud — and others had me in tears. Most of all, they pointed me to Christ, the true Storyteller.

Each of the 50 stories begins with a funny or inspiring quote and ends with a scripture that draws upon the theme of the story. It doesn’t matter what stage of mothering you’re in, you’ll connect with these women. If you’re expecting your first child, you’ll love the labor and delivery stories (Whew, Ellie!). Reading about fellow diaper-changing mavens, homeschooling with a mouse on the loose, and reflections in the garden are just a few of my favorites.

You’ll crack up reading Jill Gregory’s story, “This Isn’t the Life I Signed Up For!” when you see what she discovers while bathing her son. In pure exhaustion, she does what many of us do: she called her mom with a cry for Help!! And she comes to this wonderful conclusion:

I can honestly smile now, realizing that my life has taken a more difficult turn than I expected, but I am learning firsthand that I have a God of refuge who is my Comforter and my Teacher. He has given me the important job of loving a special-needs child and of sharing my story with other mothers who have had unexpected “job descriptions” in their own roles as parents … This is not the life I signed up for, but it’s the assignment God has for me today.

With titles such as “Did I really Say Drug Free?,” “Keeping the Groom — Dumping the Dress,” “Girls’ Day Jammin” and “A Tale of Two Manicures,” there’s something for every woman to enjoy. If you’re looking for a gift for an expectant or new mom — or for a friend who could use some encouragement, I highly recommend Kisses of Sunshine for Moms. Plus — it’s just downright pretty and would look fun in a gift basket!

One thing I really enjoy about this book is that it makes me feel a whisper of creativity, urging me to write. When I read someone else’s mothering experiences, it makes me reflect on my own. Do you write things down somewhere? If you can at least jot down a line or two of a special memory, one day you can go back and write about it. Reflect on what God taught you — or what you’d like to share with your children someday.

I think it brings joy to God’s heart when we remember the good things in life and record our memories with words. Here’s one of the quotes I love: “Shared stories build a relational bridge that Jesus can walk across from your heart to others” (Rick Warren).

I read this prayer in Elisabeth Elliot’s devotional this morning and loved it so much I want to print it out and keep it in my Bible. Elisabeth shares, “A prayer written by Amy Carmichael has been my prayer as long as I have been a mother, and I pray it now for my grandchildren.”

I watched a parenting video once that featured Elisabeth and her daughter, Valerie, who is a homeschooling mother of eight children. I can safely say that God answered Elisabeth’s many years of prayer. For those of you who don’t know, Elisabeth was widowed at a young age, and was a single mother for many years.

I’m not going to italicize or block-quote it — so it will be easier on the eyes to read — but this is from today’s devotional, Early Lessons.

Father, hear us, we are praying,
Hear the words our hearts are saying,
We are praying for our children.

Keep them from the powers of evil
From the secret, hidden peril,
From the whirlpool that would suck them,
From the treacherous quicksand pluck them,
Holy Father, save our children.

From the worldling’s hollow gladness,
From the sting of faithless sadness,
Through life’s troubled waters steer them,
Through life’s bitter battle cheer them,
Father, Father, be Thou near them.

Read the language of our longing,
Read the wordless pleadings thronging,
Holy Father, for our children.

And wherever they may bide,
Lead them Home at eventide.

Copyright© 1988, by Elisabeth Elliot
All rights reserved.

On Saturday, I flipped through an edition of USA Weekend, and my eyes fell on this article: “15 Things You Must Do For Your Baby.” Of course I was interested, as I held my youngest on my hip. I skimmed the headings out loud for my other children, laughing through topics like “Visit the Dentist by Age 1.” (Our baby has no teeth yet — what would the dentist say? My, what nice gums you have, my dear.”)

But when I read #15, I had to stop reading out loud because I couldn’t believe it. There must have been smoke coming out of my ears. Listen to this:

#15 Working parents: Skip the Guilt.

The number of hours Mom spends with Baby makes little difference in the child’s intellectual or social development, according to a recent study from the University of Texas. What’s more important is how often Mom engages Baby in play or talks to her. The study of more than 1,000 children up to age 3 also found that working moms spent less time on average with their children, but the difference was much smaller than researchers expected. Working moms compensated for lost time by spending more time with Baby on weekends and ditching other activities. In fact, working moms spent a slightly higher proportion of their time with their babies on purely social activities like playing and talking than non-working moms did.

I could not disagree more!

I won’t even begin to enter into the topic of working v. non-working moms. What is a working mom? Who is NOT a working mom? (Grrr…)

According to the views in this article, I’m not needed as I stay home with my children. The village can raise my kids just fine without me. I can spend 15 minutes a day playing Peek-a-boo, and then spend the rest of my waking hours flying around the planet in some high-power career and not feel a twinge of remorse. No regrets.

Well, I know a lot of really smart, really social adults who have totally messed up their lives because they didn’t have a mother at home to teach them what really matters: character. Who cares if someone grows up brilliant and popular if they get addicted to alcohol? Or they can’t commit to finishing school, staying married, or sticking out a career?

This morning, my two-year-old son was sitting in a chair while I helped get his shoes on.

“Is this an old chair?” he asked me.

“Yes, that’s an old chair that used to belong to your Papa.”

“Who’s Papa?” He wanted to know.

I fought back a surge of tears. He’ll never get to know my grandfather, who slipped away into eternity the very same day this little boy learned to crawl. “Papa was Nana’s Daddy. Now he lives in heaven. With Jesus.”

“He lives in heaven? With Jesus?” He looked at me intently, then looked outside at the sky. “Oh, he lives in heaven. With Jesus.”

Later that morning, he said to me again, “Papa lives in heaven. With Jesus. I know that.”

So, I was there. In the brief time it took to tie a shoe, I taught a small boy about one of the finest individuals who ever lived, his great-grandfather. I linked him to his past. And I began helping him understand the lifelong journey he will take toward heaven…teaching him gently, slowly, that heaven is where Jesus lives. This is my faith…that I’m passing on to him.

Will this conversation show up on some study? An intellectual or social test of some sort? I don’t think so.

The world may say that children don’t need their moms around. But I beg to differ. Nobody needs me more than my family.

We went to a Christmas party a few weeks ago, and everyone exchanged white elephant gifts. We wrapped up an old straw hat to give and ended up bringing home two DVDs — one of “I Love Lucy” and another of “The Andy Griffith Show.” I say we got the better end of the deal — though the straw hat made for some funny photos.

We watched Andy Griffith last night — a rare occasion when all of us gathered around the TV. I normally can’t sit through any kind of sitcom, but we loved this show and all laughed so hard. This is the episode where Opie doesn’t want to go to school because his new history teacher is too mean. Andy tells him that history was hard for him too, and he doesn’t see why memorizing all those dates is such a big deal.

Well, the new teacher wasn’t happy at all when Opie caused an uproar in the class as he announced his dad’s lack of interest in history. And she goes to see Andy to give him a piece of her mind! It’s funny because she’s quite attractive, and after she leaves, Andy holds up his foot and says, “Now how did I ever get a foot this big to fit into my mouth?” (Try to explain that idiom to kids.)

So Andy gets Opie and all his friends interested in history by telling them the spellbinding tale of Paul Revere, and they start a Minute Men of Mayberry Club. Of course, Barney Fife is bug-eyed with excitement and asks if he can join in too (before he remembers he’s an adult and has to act cool and disinterested.)

What struck me about this show — which I haven’t seen in years — is how simple life was in Mayberry. Aunt Bee sent Opie out the door to walk alone to school after breakfast. Imagine that! No, we moms today can’t imagine that.

We wouldn’t dare send our kids out the door to let them walk alone to school. We either homeschool our children, drive them to school, or at least make sure they get on the school bus safely. I don’t know any parent who would send their kids out the door and say, “Got your lunch? Have a nice day!” Do people still do that?

Then, after school Aunt Bee didn’t have to haul Opie around to soccer practice, art lessons, karate, and 4-H Club because the town was safe enough for him and his friends to hang out together — with no adults around. They wandered over to the sheriff’s office and told Opie’s dad all the details of their school day. Aunt Bee was also busy doing her own thing.

The key word here: safety. Mayberry was a safe place where people could be trusted. But it doesn’t exist today. Which is one reason why most moms with young children I know say they feel “exhausted” at least some of the time. What if we could all send our kids to school in the morning (to a good school that we trusted to teach them God’s Word), then let them wander around with their friends playing in the streets after school? And we didn’t have to work to help provide income? We’d all be together laughing and gabbing — sharing recipes, telling stories, asking each other questions.

I guess that’s why we keep a blog and visit each other online. I wonder if Aunt Bee would be a blogger today.

It was fun watching Ron Howard act as a child. If you’ve seen the Narnia movie and got there in time for the previews, you probably remember seeing Howard all grown up discussing the latest project he produced, Curious George. I think it’s due to be released next month.

I’ve been whistling the Andy Griffith song around the house ever since.