“Mommy he’s not giving me the crayon!” 

“She tried to pinch me!” 

“Can you guys just stop fighting for one minute? Just one minute of peace! Seriously!”

Lord, please stop my kids from fighting. We just need to get through this afternoon. 5 hours left till bedtime. Please give me strength.  

Ask any mother about their Covid lockdown experience, and I’m sure they will share a scene similar to the above. More time at home means more opportunities for friction between family members. Adults have found it difficult to express how they’ve felt from the intense pressure during the Covid waves, let alone kids. At times, tempers flared and arguments spiralled until no one knew why they were fighting in the first place. I have to admit, there were definitely moments when I struggled to believe that children were gifts from God. Juggling work calls and online schooling did not make it easier. 

My refuge was Sundays. No, not because it was a day of rest (kids never rest!), but Sundays meant dinner at my mother’s, which meant a chance to be pampered. A chance for someone miles ahead in the journey of motherhood to listen to my worries and frustrations. A chance to see the kids through a different pair of eyes. It was like a magical reset button. Somehow, we always left my mother’s place ready to start our Monday in peace with each other. 

I wish I could continue the story by sharing my mother’s parenting (or grandparenting) techniques to miraculously encourage or discipline kids. But the multitude of parenting techniques one can find on the internet cannot compare to having inner peace and modelling that peace to the kids. It’s the kind of peace that we can only find in God. A peace that reminds us that seasons in this life are temporary, but that God is constant and is ultimately in control. By having inner peace and channelling that peace to my kids, the family does function a little more harmoniously, and we all try a bit harder to love each other.

I hope to share with my kids more of the peace that my mother shared with me, and that God has gifted to us. It’s a work in progress but hopefully, like other mothers before me, I will continue to figure it out in this motherhood journey.

Happy Mother’s Day!