the pleated polka dot: :on birthdays and the passage of time:

this one is turning four on friday. and i'm a weepy mess of a mother remembering and wondering, where does the time go?

he grown into quite the little man. affectionate and tender with his little sister. rough and tumble with the older one but good grief does he love her. he's a ball of energy expelling it by bulldozing anything in his path. he rough houses with daddy regularly with a warm reminder that you never hit others, but especially not girls. you are their protector he says. it's a lesson not fully understood but set in motion.

i've been reading a lot about parenting and especially about raising boys. lord knows i want to raise a good one. one that loves with his whole heart, unselfishly. one that rescues and makes peace. one that sacrifices and endures. one that is loyal and friendly. one that cares about the things that jesus cares about.

how do you raise a little boy into a good man?

honestly, i have no idea but here are some of the things that help.

i pray, A LOT. sometimes out loud like my mama used to do when i kept mouthing off and she was about to lose. her. mind. to this day, i can see the back of her head as she stood looking in the mirror curling her hair to perfection speaking to jesus through gritted teeth. mama, i get it now. lord knows i get it.

i play, A LOT. boys need to burn off all that energy built up inside. it's like he has a double dose, triple even. we run and chase. i throw all 42 pounds of him over my shoulder and shake until he giggles breathless. we ride bikes until his blonde locks lay stuck to his head sweaty.

i say yes, A LOT. this child has a thing for shoes and he hasn't yet mastered the art of taking them on and off himself. yes i know i should teach him but i just haven't yet. i promise to teach him before he leaves the nest. i put shoes on his feet no less than 15 times a day, i kid you not. he loves them on for a good five minutes, then they. must. come. off. i find him numerous times a day camped out at the shoe bin rummaging deciding which pair he wants to try on next. so i say yes to shoes and many other things because, why the heck not?

i tap out, A LOT. i tap out to Jacob, regularly. we are a team in this rearing children journey. when i am weak he is strong. two are truly so much better than one. he takes durgin on special daddy outings. we call them daddy dates because they starting when our big girl was just a wee baby. Jacob is gentle and loving, never yells or loses his temper. honest. to. god. he's amazing. our children love and respect him like crazy. just seeing how daddy loves mommy and everyone he encounters is teaching them more about jesus than a million mornings in sunday school.

so i totally do not have this parenting gig figured out. yet i rest in glory of knowing i am loved.

"how glorious the splendor of a human heart that trusts it is loved"

-brennan manning