Encouragement: Give it time.

💙Give it time, Mama.💙

What you see here is a handsome little guy about to play in an honors piano recital. He's 8 years old, reads over 300 chapter books a year, and is such a kind and loyal big brother.

What you don't see is the toddler he was, our most challenging by far. You don't see the nights I cried, feeling so much love for him and yet being so overwhelmed by his intensity and strong will.

There were multiple grocery trips where I left the cart in the aisle, grabbed my screaming 2-year-old, and walked out because I could hardly handle the one child I had. We giggle now at the stories of his antics: the time he crawled behind the paper towels at Target and quietly hid while I screamed his name. How he bit into a glass ornament and earned a trip to the ER. The time he kicked a church nursery worker. 🤦🏼‍♀️

So what changed? Was it our magical parenting skills? 😂

One thing I know: T I M E. God uses time to heal, to soften, to mature even wild little boys you're sure will never grow up.

Maybe you find yourself with a vivacious little man or lady. Maybe you need to hear this:

Give it time, mama. Practice patience. God isn't finished shaping your little one into His image. There will come a day when you're not scrubbing crayon off the wall or frantically chasing a toddler through the grocery store. One day, you'll enjoy a heart to heart conversation together. One day, Lord willing, your child will become a passionate and godly adult. Take heart, sweet mama. He isn't finished with your little one - or with you - yet, and He's holding you both. God chose you to be his or her mama - to love, to guide, to nurture - and He makes no mistakes. He who began a good work will be faithful to complete it. Be diligent to love that little one as he is, to pray often, and to trust Him with your child. And give it time.