Wednesday, April 22, 2009

What Motherhood Does To You

When I was a teacher, before I became a mom, I was pretty strict. I had new teacher problems the same as everybody....trying to figure out an organizational system, learning to make lesson plans that actually worked as opposed to the kind you learned to make in college....but classroom management was my strong area.

I worked with a teacher who was SUCH a good teacher, but she was prone to bending the rules a lot for kids when she felt the situation warranted it. We need teachers like that, but it wasn't me. The rule is the rule. They knew the rule. They broke the rule. They deserve the consequences. She said we needed people like that too. We made a pretty good team.

I loved my students and they, for the most part, loved me. One of my little angels who sucked so much of my energy one year, walked by my new class in the hallway and told them, "Ya'll better watch out! Mrs. E don't play."

I loved that. I was known as a fun teacher--but one you didn't cross without thinking twice. And most of my former students stopped to hug me in the hall.

I always wondered if I would be that hard as a mom.

Well, I don't want to get into a lengthy post about my discipline and training skills/lack of skills, but this much I know:

What mom could look at their child's broken-hearted face, the child who is grieving over a ruined dollar store plaque and NOT want to fix it for them?

The ever-present dilemma---is this a life lesson, or do I intervene?

Well, I intervened.


I've gotten soft.

11 comments:

  1. What a good mommy! You'll be glad one day that you fixed that.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Soft, no. Wiser? Definitely.

    Thank you for teaching me compassion through your post. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. You are a good mom. And very creative too.
    P.S. Are you going to give us a FF assignment this week? Or have I missed it somewhere?

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a great post! (I was exactly that kind of teacher, too.)

    ReplyDelete
  5. There is a time for everything...and compassion in the face of a broken heart is definitely alright. This one will probably mean more to her since she has the knowledge that you didn't HAVE to fix it.

    Precious.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I wonder if I will soften like that too. In some ways I hope so but in some ways I hope not. I was brought up that if you don't take care of your stuff, it's going to break, and mum and dad aren't going to just fix something if you have already shown you didn't take care of it. LOL. I tend to be that way now. Then again they say that we all mellow with age so it will probably happen to me too.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Mrs. W--I did sort of give a little speech when the other sign broke about how if we keep our room tidy, our stuff doesn't get broken as easily....

    But this one was totally not her fault. The window was leaking from the neighbor's sprinkler and, as heart-broken as she was, I would have probably intervened even if it had been her fault.

    Goodness knows I've been shown that much grace! :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Yeah I know it tends to be a fault with me. Sometimes I think it has to do with actual spiritual gifts...God has designed some people to be all about the rules, but thankfully He usually partners those people in marriage with people that are all about mercy. He definitely has in our marriage.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Awwww! From what I've read so far, I can't picture you being anything other than a loving mother and teacher. It's great that you are not a rule bender, but are able to show compassion as well. It takes special people to be able to do that. Blessings to you!

    ReplyDelete

I don't get to talk to a lot of actual grown-ups during the day, so your comments make me really happy! :)