Mama Bear Moxie: To everything there is a season

As I stood in the checkout lane, I admired the dad and little girl in front of me. The man packed a giant box of size four diapers on the checkout lane, which hinted at another little one at home. I was reminded, yet again, you can learn a lot about a person by what they purchase at a store.

He put a huge bottle of Aleve next to the diapers, and I found a silent solidarity with this stranger because all parents need some help relieving aches and pains when dealing with little ones. He added a few bottles of prune juice, and I giggled at the need of easing his or his kids’ constipation. His purchases made me reminisce about when my own kiddos were little and required a different kind of parenting.

I was relaying my thoughts to my husband, and he asked what our own cart would say about us. My cart filled to the brim with meat, meat and more meat with a few fruits and vegetables mixed in. I decided it looks like we have growing boys who no longer eat three strawberries for their serving of fruit at a meal – they scarf down the entire pound of strawberries as a snack before their snack with room in their stomachs for more.

My cart also showed that, as the main cook in the house, I value making nice meals for my family but also mix in convenience items to make life easier. It showed that we are blessed to be able to afford what was in our cart and to purchase special treats from time to time. It showed that I have traded the bulk box of diapers for things like a 15-pound bag of potatoes and enough orange juice to drown a small town.

Seeing this dad’s cart reminded me that there is a season for everything and to everything a season. Gone are the days when I needed to buy diapers. I have traded those diaper costs for the clothes that my boys are always outgrowing.

This season that I am in right now, with two junior high boys and a daughter in kindergarten, is different, challenging and beautiful. I prepare my older ones to become more responsible while also teach my daughter simple things like following the rules on the bus. Every part of parenting is a season, and you have to adjust your parenting in an effort to grow and mature with your kids.