Discipline
Katherine D. Bennett
(First published in the Lathrop News November 7, 1996)
Tonight I made Aunt Maggie’s Famous Apricot Camp Cobbler for dessert. This is normally a very good thing, but tonight it caused lots of problems in my household. You see, my five-year-old son decided he wanted to eat his dessert before dinner and, well, it was a very bad idea for him to have.
“Mom,” he said earnestly, as soon as the cobbler was out of the oven, “I think I’ll eat that now, and then if I’m still hungry I’ll eat that other stuff.”
“No,” I replied firmly. “You know we eat dessert last.”
“But, Mom?” he whined, “I don’t want to wait! Why do you ruin my life!?!”
“Ben,” I said, “You know how we eat, regular first, then dessert!” Thinking I had settled the matter, I turned back to my work.
That’s when I heard the crash. My boy had gone into the living room and pulled the coat-peg board off the wall. He stood by the heap of coats and hardware and glared at me, angry and defiant.
“I pulled this down because I wanted to!” he announced.
Of course, I disciplined him.
I wish I could be just a Fun Mom, a Snuggle Mom, a Very Cool Mom. But, that’s not the way it works. My job as a parent is not necessarily to make my children happy, but to make them ready for life. I wish it were easier.
Mind you, being a parent is the best thing that has ever happened to me. Of all of my life’s experiences, being a mother has strengthened my faith, clarified my goals and helped me set my priorities straight more than any other experience ever has.
I know that preparing my children to step into life’s intricate dance requires my best effort. Even then, there are no guarantees that things will go smoothly for them. There are so many ways to miss a step, or falter. I can’t sugarcoat life for them. There are the realities of illness, death, divorce, and unyielding burdens that some may have to deal with, even with the brightest beginnings. There is the necessity of making choices, even when it is difficult and the right choice is unclear. All I can do is my very best, and beyond that, my children are entrusted to our Creator.
Tonight, my son said his prayers. He had eaten his dinner, had his helping of Aunt Maggie’s Famous Apricot Camp Cobbler, bathed, brushed his teeth and crawled into his bed.
“Dear God,” he said, “Thank you for today. My mom makes my blood pressure go up!” He drifted off to sleep, sweet smelling, full and tattling on me to God. In spite of myself, I smiled.
There is no sugar coating on this life of mine, but, it has moments that are very, very sweet.