Cough.
My eyes shoot open. It’s still dark. The clock shouts 1:45 a.m. in angry red numbers.
Cough, cough.
“Mama… MAMA…”
I slide out of my bed and literally climb into my five-year-old daughter’s top bunk, where she is hot with fever and wide awake with a new sickness.
“Oh sweetie, Mama’s here.”
Sigh. It’s going to be a long day.
As a 42-year-old mother of five, surprise nighttime sicknesses are actually some of the easier parenting challenges to face.
But I’m an adult—and adults are supposed to have “it” together, aren’t they? (I’m still not quite sure what “it” is, so let me know if you figure “it” out.)
We adults are supposed to be leading, innovating, succeeding, knowledgeable, wise, and winning at all the things.
But if I’m honest… I’m not winning. I’m surviving.
We all know parenting is hard. Yet at the same time, there simply aren’t structures in place to support weary parents.
We have children’s ministries, youth ministries, young adult ministries, and senior adult ministries… but those regular adults in the middle? The parents? Surely they should be leading because they have “it” together, remember?
I find that so often the frustrations we experience in children’s and youth ministry get laid at the feet of parents in our settings.
“If only these parents would…”
But have we stopped to consider that these parents may not have the margin, capacity, or even the understanding to know how or what to do?
What if instead we asked, “How could we equip and support these parents to…?”
Maybe that looks like prayer support between older women and young mothers in your congregation. Maybe it looks like a men’s group that gathers once a month to smoke meat and share one another’s burdens.
What if we checked in with the parents in our settings? What is their level of overwhelm? Are we adding to it or helping to carry it?
May we be a people who see parents in the struggle, wrap our arms around them, and share the love of Christ with grace, patience, and compassion.
Deb Jurchen serves the District as Congregational Consultant for Family Life Ministry. In this role, she will share articles and resources to encourage congregations to connect with and serve the families in their community. Click here to learn more about Family Life Ministry.