One of the many things that one needs to trust God for when you're a parent is when you find out about stuff.
We have all sat around a family holiday dinner and reminisced about the crazy stuff we used to do that Mom never found out about.
But the thing is, Mom found out about some stuff. Just not all.
It's odd. When Matt took the cup of gasoline to his room and ignited it, I didn't find out until he told me, much later. But when Steven and his friend sprayed WD40 in their room and flicked a lighter to it, a big sister walked in just at that crucial moment. And just recently, after I had told Steven to burn the pile of branches outside, I went out the back door just at the exact moment the fire erupted in a huge WOOF and Steven hopped backwards with the gas can in his hand. You couldn't have choreographed better timing.
Then there was the time Matt drove Steph and Emily to Rosie's house and stuck his foot out the window while he drove. Emily didn't think it was a big deal and didn't tell me, but Steph did, not much after, and we took action. But it was years before I learned how Matt and Kevin K. used to race to school, parting ways at 99 and Lake Creek Drive, and each going around the block to see who'd get to 228 and Falk Road first. And this with Other People's Kids in the car.
Last night Emily had some friends over for a birthday party and I found out that at least two and maybe three years ago, on Valentine's Day, Steven commandeered my phone and called up a bunch of my friends and said, "Will you go on a date with me?" and then hung up. And apparently my friends were discussing this with each other--"I got the strangest call. It was from Dorcas's number, and this man's voice said 'Will you go on a date with me?' and then hung up." "Really? That happened to me, too."
And it seems I wasn't told about this until now.
You really have to trust God that you will find out what you need to know when you need to know it.
Quote of the Day:
"Whenever I fold up patterns it is painfully obvious that Dad did not design patterns."
--Emily, after cutting out sewing patterns for me
Wow!! Maybe it was better that you found those things out until now! =)
ReplyDeletePatti Quinonez
I'm thinking of 3:00 AM tests of "how fast this old car can go," encounters with traffic patrol officers, photo-verified burnouts just before replacing the tires, and probably a host of other things I didn't hear about till long after the fact. Unsettling revelations in any chronology.
ReplyDeleteMrs. I, you have my sympathies and admiration.
ReplyDeleteThy children are all still alive ?!!
ReplyDeleteNot perished through their own folly or slaughtered in retribution by their mother?
Ember, only by God's mercy are they all still alive. It's not hard to convince me that God still has great purposes for all of them.
ReplyDeleteYes, it does take trust in God! When we left three teenagers at home for 10 days when we went to FL with my husbands mother, we came back and all seemed well. I told some of my friends, I don't know what all I don't know yet! (what they did in our absence) Your story is hilarious now, but dangers could have turned out differently...if only they could see them as well as we do at our age!
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