Patience is a tissue --- or a cup of milk

And so two year-old Funnygirl tells the five-year-old Princess this morning "You need patience, honey."
Funny how the two year-old gets that.

Patience is hard on a kid. My kids are needless to say, not the best at waiting. The first example is the breakfast table:

"Mommmeeeee! I need my cuppy!"

"I want my Cheerios!"

"Bitie-mans! I need my Bitie-mans!" (translation - vitamins -- which are gummy and look like candy. You'd want one, too.)

Princess, as the oldest has struggled with patience the most. And she has learned the most. She had to be patient when mommy spent weeks in teh hospital with those babies in her belly. She had to be patient when we spent ALOT of time feeding those little rascals. She has had to be patient when the triplets are into danger and I need to run to them instead of clasp that toy necklace around her neck. "But mooooom! Help meeeee!"

She gets it honest. My sister and I are champion whiners and impatient "princesses." How many times have I heard my mother yell "Would you WAIT?!" Or my dad growl, "Quit your whinin'."?

I have now picked up those phrases and say them -- often - daily. Ok, hourly.
However, Princess has learned to be patient in some circumstances. She just gets used to it. An example here again involves mealtime. I am surprised that kid is not dehydrated. Do you have any idea how many times I have fed that child a meal and totally forgot her beverage? Daily.
And about halfway through the meal "Mom, can I have a drink?"
"Yes -- wait a minute."
I get preoccupied with unfinished plates and stubborn two year-olds and crumbs on the floor and dishes in  the sink...and the Princess completes her meal and tries to get a drink on her own. And then I scold her. Yes, bad mom moment coming - beware.
She often gets fed up and tries to help herself. She gets out the milk and her pink princess cup and attempts to fill it -- and spills it. And I begin to snarl.
In hindsight I realize the poor kid just wanted to wash down that super-dry plate full of substance that I try to call "food."
I often comment that she spills a drink everyday. Well, let's look at why. (Read the paragraph above - if you missed the "why." Pay attention here, would you?).

I guess I totally overlook the same requests. When it's new, I respond. When it sounds annoyinngly familiar -- I ignore it. Bad mommy. Bad.
Another example is poor, pitiful Goldie. When Goldengirl throws a tantrum, she cries. Big, raindrop-size tears. The kind that you see on the Puss N'Boots character in all of the Shrek movies (I always think of my golden-haired child when that cat does that).
So I ignore the tantrums. Well, halfway through she screams "I need..a..a..(gulp) tissuuuuuuuuuuuueee."
"Hold on a minute!" I say in frustration.
The "waaah"s continue and the snotting begins. By the time I realize/remember her request, there is snot on her upperlip -- even in her hair. Gross, yes. Am I disgusted at that sight? Yes. So...I respond "What is wrong with you?"
Duh.
"I need a tissue."
I wipe the nose and feel crappy about neglecting that need.
But like the girls, I am learning.
This makes me think about how annoyed God gets when we whine and complain and just can't seem to wait. The difference is, he doesn't yell "Wait a minute!" and then ignore us. We think sometimes that is what He says. I have learned that when we think that is how the God who made us sees us -- then we really have no clue about God's love. Nada.
God loves us so much that He responds when it is BEST for us. But boy do we kick and scream and act like Goldie when it isn't NOW! God has taught me such patience. Over, and over, and over, and over, and over -- and over again. And again.
(sigh).
I hate that lesson. I admit it.
However, I know I am learning it and applying it because I see it. Six or more weeks ago our minivan left us sit in steam and humidity alongside the road 60 miles from home. All four girls were in tow and we were on our way home from North Carolina. We expected to be home around 6 that evening. We left late. We made a couple stops that took forever it seemed and then we took a detour through D.C. and then we got caught in a thunderstorm. And then -- it happened. Just miles past the state line of our home state, the van quit. We were tired and all five females in tow began to cry -- mom included. Why can't we just get home???
I reminded myself (I believe God did - not really me) that it happened not THAT far from home, that almost immediately we found someone to get us home -- who would not have been available to help us if it had happened earlier, and that we were safe -- and that we had just returned from one of the rewarding vacations we could have ever asked for...
So the van went to the shop. Transmission trouble is not a good thing. So no van. No way to get all of our children to church in One vehicle. So the Saturday after the incident the hubby and I talked about what we were going to do. We concluded we needed to be patient and trust God. So immediately after my husband left the room, I began to pray. In literally less than five minutes my husband's cell phone rang. His friend who lives half an hour away called him and said "Hey . I was just thinking of you guys just now. I have a van in my garage I'm not using. Would you want to borrow it?"
Hmmm. Of course!
And so we drove the borrowed van for weeks without air -- in the hot, 95 degree heat. But it was ok. We were waiting on God and He provided. This week we made a deal on a newer van. And the very next day we got the call that our old van was fixed. So now God has provided two vans -- and the funds for both of them -- without hassle or debt. Patience is a tissue, because I can't help but shed a tear when I think about how my God provides for us -- just when you'd think it would be too late.
It never is.