Am I a Couch Potato Mom?

*******update*******The original post magically disappeared, and reverted back to an unedited version.  So I've tried my best to rewrite what was written before!

So a few weeks ago, my cousin's wife over at Becoming//M asked me to write a guest blog post for her!

I was completely honored and flattered as she has a much larger following than I do!

Her and her husband, (my cousin....well, my 3rd cousin) are missionaries to Tanzania that have been on furlough for several months here in the States while their precious little girl was born!

Anyway, like I said, I was flattered!

You can read the post here.

But as I have been writing a little more about parenting, I'm realizing how convicting it is.

In my guest post, I talked about how I'm not called to be a "couch potato mom".

Why did I write that post?

Why did I use those words?

Because it is a struggle of mine.

Pretty much anyone that knows me is already aware of this.

But JUST in case you aren't, I want to share this with you.

I do NOT want to be the mom that posts things and makes her life look like something that it is not.

I am not the mom that thrives off of organization and cleanliness. (my husband IS!)

I am the mom that can sit at my desk, covered in receipts, coupons, kid's drawings, glue sticks, and random pieces of my jewelry that haven't quite made it back to my armoire and be completely content and able to concentrate on whatever task is at hand. (Now you know what my desk looks like this very minute ;)

I am the mom that can look at the pile of clothes waiting to be put away for 4 days straight and finally put them away 3 1/2 minutes before the kids' bedtime.

I am also the mom that can wait until the last minute before planning the girls' school week for them and realize that I don't even have some of the necessary supplies for it...when it's already too late to run and get them.

And....I am a mom who has to fight against being a "couch potato."

I don't know if this is common, normal, or the rarity for stay at home moms, but it is a struggle that I've always had.  I have been ashamed of it and saddened by how it affects me, my kids, and even my husband.

I am so so grateful for my husband.  I have confessed my struggle to him and he has prayed with me, for me, encouraged me, asked what he can do to assist me, and sometimes most importantly, he has admonished me.

Why would my husband admonish me in this area?

Because I AM NOT CALLED TO BE A COUCH POTATO MOM!!!

And I can confidently say that neither are you.

Phew.

I said it.

How do I know us moms aren't called to chill on the couch all day while the kids watch t.v., play on the iPad, read books by themselves, play with toys by themselves, play outside BY THEMSELVES, or any other activity that keeps them occupied without my intervention? (pleeeease not that I said all day.  I do not think these things are inappropriate when done in moderation!!)


Well, Scripture tells us in
Titus 2 says "



^"Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good,  and so train the young women to love their husbands and children,  to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled." Titus 2:3-5

 


So read that passage again with me.

As women, (some of these are specific to wives and mothers) we are to love our husbands and children, be self-controlled, be pure, kind, submissive to our husbands, and be working at home.

 
"Working at home" doesn't sound like laziness, carelessness, or slothfulness.  I looked this word up in its original language and it is not referring to hard labor.  It means "keeping up" or "caring for" the home.

Now I certainly cannot define exactly what this should look like in every home....each family is different.

In our home, it means that I keep a decent routine with the kids, get school work done with the girls, spend quality time with them, attend to their needs, and try my best to make sure the house is somewhat presentable with my husband gets home!  I also take care of the finances, bills, adoption paperwork, medical necessities for the family (my husband is a type 1 diabetic), plan meals, shop, prep meals and feed the family.  

**Now, my husband is FAR from absent in all of this.  While he wouldn't know what to do if I sat my online bill pay page in front of him, he is more than just "involved" in our kids' everyday activities.  He is much more of a help to me than I could ever ask for!!!**

Do we have lazy days?  Yup!  And when that lazy day is over and we've just not done a whole lot that day, I'm ready to get back up and start the next!

Now just for the record, "self-control" in the passage above is NOT just referring to anger.  It's whatever is waging war against the Spirit!  It's whatever is getting in the way of your sanctification...whether it's laziness, anger, pride, our speech, our time management (or lack thereof), or whatever else may be in our lives that we are constantly having to control for His glory.

So I pray that what you have read has encouraged you to be the woman, wife, and mother that The Lord has called you to be.  Like I said, we may not always have the same exact job description, but we are all called to keep up, and care for our home.

I understand it is not easy.

But it would be most unwise to neglect this precious calling.

So fight against your flesh.
Be self-controlled.
Enjoy keeping up your home.
Put the phone down (talking to myself too, remember!)
Turn off the computer.
Pour yourself into your kids.

Only The Lord knows how long you'll have them.