Higher Education

My daughter on the staircase of the library at my alma mater.

She told me today she doesn't want to go to college , because she doesn't ever want to leave her mama.

Awwww ...

I always knew I would graduate from college, and indeed I was the first woman in my family to do so. I had hoped to go to graduate school, but our all-wise Heavenly Father had other plans for my life. And I am extremely grateful. Then, to add blessings on top of blessings, there is General Conference. I know, Conference would happen regardless of whether I have a Master's degree. But since I don't, I like to think of it as a different opportunity for a Higher Education. Truly, every time I listen - really listen with my heart - there is always something said that takes aim right at my heart and teaches me exactly what I need to learn the most.

One such lesson last weekend came, as with Jen's post, from Elder Lynn G. Robbins' address. Here's what caught my attention:

"A sweet and obedient child will only enroll a father or mother in Parenting 101. If you are blessed with a child who tests your patience to the nth degree, you will be enrolled in Parenting 505. Rather than wonder what you might have done wrong ... to be so deserving, you might consider the more challenging child a blessing and an opportunity to become more godlike yourself. With which child will your patience and long-suffering and other Christlike virtues most likely be tested, developed and refined? Could it be possible that you need this child as much as this child needs you?"

Now, I've always believed that our particular children are entrusted to us because we are the ones who are best suited to help them learn and grow. But I've never really taken to heart the possibility that our particular children are also sent to us because they are the ones best suited to help us learn and grow. And finding myself in possession of the blessing of being enrolled in Parenting 505, it really does make perfect sense. I hope it's a lesson I can keep remembering when my frustration rises; I hope I'll remember to think of those moments as blessed opportunities to become more Christlike.

Higher Education indeed.

Learning to Love the Rain

Who ever heard of galoshes that couldn’t get wet? If I am not mistaken, golashes are rain boots; rain boots ARE golashes! They are made to get wet. But I have recently learned that this is just not the case when it comes to Hello Kitty rain boots. No, sorry, that little pink cat doesn’t like baths. She prefers to stay inside where it is dry and clean.

Humph.

This is quite the dilemma for any mom (me) who purchased said boots at the beginning of a very long rainy season (October in Seattle) for a rather OCD three-year-old (Sophia).

But it’s not just the boots. Sophia really doesn’t like any of her shoes—or coats, or pants, or hats for that matter—to get wet. How on earth do I get a three-year-old to understand and accept the fact that she is going to get wet, she does have to walk between the house and the car regardless of whether it has rained, and she will be just fine?

We’ve tried dancing--that kind of works, but its tough when I’m in a hurry. You just can’t always dance to and from the car.

We’ve tried catching raindrops on our tongues. That does the job some times.

We’ve tried special shoes made just for rainy days. That was a flop.

My initial frustration is that I just want her to wear those stinkin’ boots—for which I now admit I paid too much money—and quit whining. But underneath my irritation from this constant struggle, I really just want her to be happy.

I want her to live through the rainy days, equipped with the right protective gear, and the right attitude. That’s what I’m trying to teach her. Really, the right attitude is much better protection than any kind of rain boot. With the right attitude, you don’t just live through the rainy days, you learn from them, and you learn to love them.