“Mommy, will you tell us a story?” My three-year-old looked up at me, pleading. Her wispy hair lay fanned across a cotton pillowcase, and her eyes shone glossy in the lamplight.
“A story? Sure.” It was a typical bedtime request. My girls like to hear stories from my childhood, so I spin ordinary memories into fairy tales. They think this is fabulous entertainment.
“Once upon a time,” I launched into my standard opener, “there was a beautiful princess named Princess Becky. Every week, she went grocery shopping with her mom, Queen Nana. At the checkout aisle, Princess Becky was allowed to pick one treat. Sometimes she chose a candy bar, sometimes bubble gum, and it was always special because it was the only treat she got all week.”
“One treat?” My six-year-old daughter’s eyes bulged. “That’s all?”
“Oh, yes,” I nodded. “Just one a week. Princess Becky didn’t have chips and cookies in her house every day like we do.”
“Wow.” My daughter struggled to comprehend such hardship. Suddenly I thought of the two Hershey’s Kisses she ate that day, and the Oreo her sister gobbled after dinner. Plus the fruit snacks I gave them on the drive home from gymnastics, the suckers they got at the bank, and the vanilla cones we bought at our neighborhood drive-in last night.
Open our cupboards right now and you’ll find Sunchips, Cheez-Its, Raisinets, jelly beans, marshmallows, M&Ms and every variety of Goldfish made in America.
My mother never kept junk food in the house.
Am I spoiling my kids?
“Girls, maybe it’s time to start cutting back on the treats.”
“Nooooo! We like treats!”
“I like treats, too! But do you know what I like even better?” I tucked the blankets around their shoulders and kissed their cheeks. “I like you.”
“I love you, Mom,” my three-year-old whispered.
“I love you, too, Mom.” My six-year-old lifted her head a few inches off her pillow and reached for me. “Will you stay for a little bit?”
I caught fleeting thoughts of the dishes on the counter and the e-mails I’d planned to read. But I shoved them aside and snuggled on the bed between my girls.
“Okay. Just for a little bit.”
Maybe I could indulge my kids in less sugar. But there is one thing I refuse to ration.
Affection.
“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1a)
Do you give love freely to your kids? What about forgiveness? And grace?
Understand that God does not skimp—he lavishes his love on us, his perfect, merciful, never-ending love. Did we earn it? Did we do all our chores and refrain from bickering and eat every green bean on our dinner plates? Usually not.
And yet he pours his great love into his children every day. So I want to do the same.
Yes, sometimes love means discipline, and sometimes it looks less like hugs and more like letting go. But however we express it, love should be the unlimited motivation for our every move in parenting, don’t you agree? I fail at this regularly. But I won’t be ashamed for making it my goal.
About those treats, however—I’m not too proud of that. So tonight I have a new story in mind.
“Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess named Princess Becky. And her favorite snack was carrots and celery, yum!”
Sweet dreams, my girls. Mom loves you.
Blessings,
Becky
Wish we could coordinate our bedtime stories and tuck our whole gang in together. My creative juices sometimes run dry by the last tuck-in! I ADORE you, Princess Becky!
Ooo, a sleepover! Fun! I adore you, too, Alicia! (Make that Princess Alicia…)
I keep too much junk food in the house too. Glad we can never overload on affection and love though! A sweet story; thank you for sharing.
Thank you for reading, Lisa! I think I’ll go eat some of those chips now that the kids are in bed. 🙂
Your girls are so lucky to have you! Well said, as always.
Awww, and yours have a pretty fabulous mom, too, Erica. Love to hear from you here!
My favorite line – But there is one thing I refuse to ration. Affection. Yes! I want to love my children lavishly, too. 🙂
That is my daily aim. Sometimes I miss by a mile…but I do try to keep the target in focus!
Now you’re just steppin’ on my toes, Becky! We have a pantry full of junk food and I have two teens and one 20-something home this summer that would not go so easy on me if I cut back their daily junk-food rations! ha! But I wholeheartedly agree that being abundant in affection is a win-win proposition! Beautiful words, my friend!
Beth, I suddenly feel so much better knowing that you have a load of junk food in your kitchen, too! Probably not Goldfish, though, huh? 🙂 I have to admit I prefer the fish-shaped pretzels to the grown-up kind. Maybe I actually buy them for myself and just say they’re for the kids, heh heh.
Perfect, just perfect! What a great mom you must be. I found you on Playdates with God and I’ll be sharing this with my readers for sure! Happy to be a new follower! – Penny Lane @ SistersRaisingSisters.com
Thank you so much for reading and joining me here! Welcome to Time Out!
Sweet! My son is 18 now and in college. I am reading my old diaries. Savor this time, my friend, it passes soooo quickly! Too quickly! Blessings! Patsy from
HeARTworks
Thank you for that reminder, Patsy. I’m really trying to soak up this summer with my little ones. Blessings!
Makes me think of story time at my house. My older son, who’s four, is requesting “spooky” stories. He makes one up and then it’s my turn. I don’t have girls, but I remember those princess tales growing up with a sister! For right now, I’m talking about bugs and monsters – with happy endings of course! Thanks, Becky, for a great post.
Funny, Noelle – my girls are the ones telling me the monster stories, as in, “I’m scared of the monsters, Mommy. Are there monsters in my room?” So you can imagine how princess stories fly much better than spooky tales in our house! Sweet dreams to your little guys!
So glad I came here tonight, I needed the mama encouragement. Have a great week!!
And I’m so glad you came by, too, Ashley! You always bless me with your encouragement.
Hi I’m Heather! Please email me when you get a chance, I have a question about your blog! LifesABanquet1(at)gmail.com
sweet and yummy … and pretty much applicable to my grandmother-ing! thank you, Becky, for making me smile this evening!
Linda
Funny, Linda – my mom said her old rules about limiting sugar no longer apply to her grandkids! Thanks for stopping by to read!
You are such a good mommy. Yes, those cuddle times are the sweetest sweets :).
Oh, I try, Laura. And I fail often. 🙂 Lately I’ve been reminding myself that those days of picking up and holding my girls is slipping away as they get older. So every time one of them asks me to hold her, I do it.
Growing up, we had ZERO sugar, ever. My mother gasped in horror when I gave my first baby Cheerios. Not the honey nut, just plain- b/c there is 1g of sugar per serving(which of course, a baby isn’t actually consuming). I learned that it’s better to do some moderation than total withholding- b/c my brothers and I would binge eat sugar/snacks when we had the chance away from her.
Wow, Shell, and I thought I was deprived! 🙂 I agree, moderation is wise. My girls like their treats, but they don’t see them as forbidden fruit, which I’m hoping will help them in the long run. I have to admire your mom’s convictions, though.
Oh, Becky, this is just too sweet. (Pun intended, sorry.) I love the emphasis on how God “lavishes” His love on us. Great reminder. Thanks!
Sometimes, when I need a momma time out … I stop on by to be refreshed. Thanks for always splashing me with encouragement and linking up to splash other mommas as well.
Just moms. Sharing our notes. Creating a melody.
http://justsarahdawn.blogspot.com/2013/05/momma-notes.html
Be blessed bunches,
Sarah
Now that’s the kind of spoiling I can really get behind! 🙂
Good luck with your story about the princess loving carrot sticks and celery. . . .