From One Mom To AnotherMarch 2017 (1)
Emotions and Hormones — God’s Gifts
It’s funny how consistent people can be – okay, not really consistent and not really funny – but in certain comments and remarks, they appear consistent and predictable with our family. When I tell people that we have four daughters, the comments are fairly predictable. Often times, guys will say something like “poor dad!” Sometimes mothers will ask how we survived the tears and drama. Girls will giggle and say it sounds like fun.
Over than many years of this, our daughters naturally got their feelings hurt (a little). With so many different people all saying these things, it made them feel they caused their dad heart-ache or stress. Oh, there have been some funny comments like the need to take up a collection for Dad to help pay for weddings (if the collection had actually taken place, we might have laughed a little more about that) or one cute older gentleman said “that’s like hooking up a vacuum cleaner to your wallet.”
I must say that the most memorable comment – at least for our girls – was when a dad, who also enjoyed raising his daughters, said, “Four girls! Wow, your dad is a very blessed man!” That comment meant the world to our joke-weary girls. Then, he took the time and effort to try to learn their names and who they were. No wonder this sensitive Sunday school teacher makes a difference in the many ministries he is involved in. But, I am getting side-tracked here. The comment of mothers about emotions and tears is where I would like to focus today.
What a gift of God are the emotions and hormones of girls! Oh, many times I have not called them that, especially when they got the best of me. Those hormones and emotions gave me the gift of motherhood and the ability to love and relate to people and my children. They even are the very reason I am a mother! I have tried to remind myself at times that hormones are truly a gift from God. I LOVE being a mother, a woman. I LOVE having four daughters with hormones and emotions! Learning not to be controlled by emotions and hormones is a great skill that we can help teach our girls (and maybe need to teach ourselves.) It is possible to reduce the ups and downs. It is possible! Really!