terrible twos

There is an intriguing modern quip which parents hastily echo to one another to excuse their children's misbehavior between the age of 1.5 to 3.5 years: "He/she is in his/her terrible twos."

This is such an attractive adage because it's ACTUALLY true. The seemingly terrible nature tends to come out when the child is learning to speak/communicate and slowly disperse as they learn to socialize. Here's the problem: it's easier for us (parents) to close our eyes and wait for that year or two to be over, instead of correcting the (t)error.

If I neglect, as a father, to teach my child discipline at this age (though these terrible symptoms may hide themselves hereafter) she will reap the withered fruit of my laziness throughout the rest of her life. Because the terror just becomes dormant to be manifested in the future... it doesn't actually go away.

There is nothing wrong with talking about the terrible twos. They're real. But lets not make that an excuse to be terrible parents. Our conduct during this time is of paramount importance.

vacuuming and matching socks

Not everything, but a lot in life, comes down to vacuuming and matching socks. "That is all there is left to do," my beloved wife commented, as she stepped out of the kitchen turning off the light behind her.

Firstly, there is plenty that still needs to be done around the house, but making a reasonable plan of attack is extremely necessary. I'm glad the Lord doesn't ask us to take care of all our problems at once. We would get extremely worn out, and we wouldn't truly be able to address everything. Instead He says, "Today, work on your temper."

Vacuuming : It's a necessity; especially in our house. We average 35 -50 people through our house a week right now. It's methodical; you can't really mess this up, push the whirring machine in lines, move obstructions out of the path, and make sure not to leave any stragglers. It's loud; everyone in the general vicinity knows you're cleaning, from the slee(awake now)ping child to the vigilant neighbors, but none the less, it must be done and they must know that it is happening.

Matching Socks : It's orderly; like the feeling you get when you clean your room... suddenly your life feels like it's at least a little more organized. It's simple; more so than that matching card game we played when we were kids. Unless your sock collection is ginormous or you have lots of lone soldiers, then there may be more to it. It's quiet; at least it calms me down.

Whether God is working on your outward behavior, or your inward heart, he has enough grace for us, that we, through faith, may be saved.