Chaos in childrearing
I suppose for a non-parenting type of person our house would appear to be one big chaotic mess. (Can you have a chaotic mess? is that an oxymoron?) It's loud, because I'm loud. It's happy. There's a lot of running and chasing and jumping. Toys. Clothes for six people. A hundred pairs of shoes. 2500 sq. ft. of a farm family livin it up. There's more love than most people get in a lifetime. There's always plenty of food. Anyone is welcome to pull up a chair at mealtimes, or anytime in between. That's our life.
So, I guess I was deeply offended that someone would describe our chaos in a negative way. Our ministry, our life purpose has been to dedicate this home to serving others. We don't pretend to be fancy, even though from the outside this house looks pretty darn fancy. We don't open the door and say, "Oh no! You can't come in, we haven't cleaned yet." We apologize if you don't like dogs, but we have three, you'll just have to yell at them like Julie does :) And, Big Dummy counts as two. ha
My point is, real life is messy. Chaotic at times. But chaos with a purpose. The purpose of raising healthy, well rounded, Jesus-loving kids. When a home centers around raising kids that's what you get. Noise. Mess. Dirty dishes. Dust. Because, frankly, I'd rather read to my kids than dust the shelves. I can dust when they're grown.
Besides, I didn't build this big house. It takes a lot of time to clean it. I've timed it, more than eight hours to clean two rooms. I grew up in a trailer. That lovely home would fit in my kitchen and dining room.
So, YES, we raise our kids in chaos. Heaven forbid if it ever changes. Because we love our kids. They come first. Just yell when you walk in the front door and join in the game of tag. Or fold a basket of my laundry. But join in, don't judge.
(She steps off the soapbox. Exits stage left.)
So, I guess I was deeply offended that someone would describe our chaos in a negative way. Our ministry, our life purpose has been to dedicate this home to serving others. We don't pretend to be fancy, even though from the outside this house looks pretty darn fancy. We don't open the door and say, "Oh no! You can't come in, we haven't cleaned yet." We apologize if you don't like dogs, but we have three, you'll just have to yell at them like Julie does :) And, Big Dummy counts as two. ha
My point is, real life is messy. Chaotic at times. But chaos with a purpose. The purpose of raising healthy, well rounded, Jesus-loving kids. When a home centers around raising kids that's what you get. Noise. Mess. Dirty dishes. Dust. Because, frankly, I'd rather read to my kids than dust the shelves. I can dust when they're grown.
Besides, I didn't build this big house. It takes a lot of time to clean it. I've timed it, more than eight hours to clean two rooms. I grew up in a trailer. That lovely home would fit in my kitchen and dining room.
So, YES, we raise our kids in chaos. Heaven forbid if it ever changes. Because we love our kids. They come first. Just yell when you walk in the front door and join in the game of tag. Or fold a basket of my laundry. But join in, don't judge.
(She steps off the soapbox. Exits stage left.)
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