Waiting

<--- Been reading this awesome book lately.

I promise I will (at some point) provide a thorough review of this book on French parenting. For now, I just want to share how God continues to teach me about being His child.

The fourth chapter of the book, aptly title "wait!" recounts the French emphasis on delayed gratification. Druckerman was struck by the capacity of French children to sit calmly in restaurants, to eat only one snack per day, and to generally have more command of themselves.
Turns out, from infancy, French parents make waiting a part of their children's reality. Intentional pausing allows babies to self-soothe and older children to self-distract, making them more autonomous and capable. If French families bake cupcakes in the morning, the children will expect to wait until their afternoon snack to sample the treats.

I am bought in. For my own sanity, I do not want to be at the constant beck-and-call of my children. But more importantly, I think is wildly unhealthy for babies/kids to believe the world revolves around them. I want our kids to feel part of something bigger than themselves, and to be capable of respecting the needs and desires of other people. Josh agreed, and we are already getting Phoenix on a more predictable eating schedule (which requires a little waiting).

Unfortunately, this book has heightened my already growing frustration with being a stay-at-home mom. I am so thankful for Phoenix, and do not regret being home with her up to this point. But I am stir-crazy. And under-stimulated. And unkempt. Anyone who knows me will not be surprised that I am desperately looking forward to either going back to work or school. I don't mind couponing, laundry, cooking and I LOVE hanging with Phoenix. But I would just love to not have those things comprise the totality of my existence.

The problem? I cannot justify putting Phoenix in some random daycare for a job that doesn't even matter to me. If I am going to drop my baby off with someone I don't know, I want to be pursuing my passions. And God has yet to present such an opportunity.

Last night, in tears, I was telling Josh how ready I am to contribute to the world outside our home. To my fatalist exaggerations about never being a regular person again, he tried gently reminding me that being a stay-at-home mom will not last forever. I responded, "But I am tired of it NOW!"

Hmmm. Feels a little like God is pulling the ole delayed gratification trick with me. Just when I decided that waiting it such an important part of nurturing maturity in Phoenix, God reminded me that my own life is no different.
There is no shortage of waiting in scripture, so I am sure the coming days will bring much study for the sake of encouragement.
In the meantime, I am thankful for a God who knows the longings of my heart, who is patient with my impatience, and is working something good in me.

Side note -- I got the stomach flu the morning after eating the recipe from my previous post. I am positive those things are not related (since Cami didn't get sick), but my subconscious apparently associates them. In other words, I almost gagged when I saw the picture below.