Strike!

Being a Mom can sometimes be a thankless job. I get that. There are a lot of things I do that are expected (clean clothes, clean house, dinner every night etc.) I take pride in trying to make my home a great place for us to be as a family. I know that this is the one place that I have control over. This is the place where we create memories, where my kids can feel safe, where we teach our children valuable lessons. This is where we laugh, cry, get angry, resolve problems, and learn to get along together.

With that being said, I went on strike and I was excited about it. This was after spending all day doing laundry, baking bread, baking cookies, mopping the floor, cleaning appliances, vacuuming, and making things nice for the weekend. I was beat.

All that hard work and most of my day was completely undone by my children in a matter of minutes. I came home after going out with Rob to pizza boxes all over the place, mail strewn everywhere, dishes undone...basically a huge mess, all while they sat for HOURS watching T.V.

"That's It!" I announced the next morning. "I'm on strike! If Martin Luther King can stand up for human rights, and my teenage son can (long story on that one), then I can too!" So I did. I didn't do one thing all weekend long. No cooking, no cleaning. Everyone was on their own. I was enjoying my new found freedom. I told Rob he might want to grab something before he came home from work the next week because this strike was going to last a very long time. "What are you going to eat?" my children asked. I said "Hey people....I fix dinner for you. I can be happy with a yogurt and a piece of toast for dinner or maybe I'll take myself out for dinner." That will stump them. I'll show those ungrateful, insensitive children of mine. I was planning my week. What should I do? Where should I go? Maybe I'll finally get to finish that novel I've been reading. Maybe I can take up the guitar. Oh the possibilities are endless when you're on strike!

Rob reminded me that they are "just kids" and these things like this are going to happen. I wasn't interested in hearing his logic. They may be "just kids" but they happen to MY kids and I expect better than that. I am training them for life outside this home.

I knew my children wouldn't starve. There was plenty to eat in the house. Emily said "Well, I guess we'll be eating a lot of toast." To which I replied "yeah until the bread in gone." I was giddy. I was going to show them....then they showed me. This is what I came home to Sunday afternoon after my primary meeting. This note was on my pillow. The table was set, and the kids pitched in to make hamburgers.




Oh man, now what do I do? Well, since we are trying very hard to teach repentance and forgiveness at our house what could I do but go back to being a Mom? It's what I love doing most anyway... even if it is the toughest job in the world! Strike ended.