How a Stomach Bug Blessed Me

David and I were almost asleep a few nights ago when Handsome Dude came into our room, crying of a tummy ache.  I let him into our bed and we started to snuggle.  HD fell asleep right away and I remember falling asleep, thanking God for my sweet boy who was growing up way too fast.

There is a moment, dear readers, when you start to fall asleep and it is pure bliss.  Do you know this moment?  You know . . . that perfect time when you are all comfortable and cozy?  Well, it was at this precise moment that Handsome Dude threw up all over me.

And I mean ALL over me.  It was in my hair.  On my face.  On my neck.  On my shirt.  On my pillow.  On my bed.  It was the most disgusting moment of my life.

And have you read my blog?  That's saying a lot.

So, David and I got up and started the detoxification process.  HD was upset and I was helping him into the shower.  He looked at me, covered in his vomit and said,

"Mom.  I got a wittle frow up on you.  Sorry."

We finally got back into bed and, of course, I could not sleep.  I didn't want to disturb anyone, so I grabbed my phone to do a little reading.  I saw a link to an article called How to Miss a Childhood on Facebook.

I was in no mood to be convicted, so I decided I would not read it.  Isn't that awful?  But then, when sleep still would not come, I decided to read it.  And it convicted me.

I think all of you should read it, but if you don't, it is basically challenging parents to think about all the things that take away their attention and focus during the day.  This article focuses on phones a lot, but there are many other things in life that can take your attention away from your child.

Facebook

Blogs (which is ironic, since I am writing this on a blog.  ha!)

Emails

TV

Phone calls

Texts

Games

Maybe even chores and other household stresses?

There are days when my husband gets home late.  Since we live a bit away from life, I can get pretty lonely.  I am thankful for the opportunity to connect with others online or visit with a friend through texting.  But, I do need to be careful of how often and when I do these things.

The author of the article stated that you should consider not even checking your phone for texts and emails and stoplights.  Well, I do this and never thought it was a big deal.  But, yesterday, which was "Going To Town Day," I decided to really limit my distractions and how much time I looked at my phone.

It was pretty tough.  I ain't gonna lie.

We arrived at the library to return some books.  Daisy Mae asked if she could take the books to the book drop.  And I said,

"Yes!"

Because then I could check my phone!  Brilliant!

But, I remembered my "challenge" and put the phone back and looked at Daisy Mae.  At that moment, she looked right at me to see if I was watching her.

I gave her a thumbs up sign and she in turn gave me a huge grin.

She was pretty proud of herself.  And I can't blame her.  Putting books in a drop box is quite the accomplishment.

I realized that if I had been on my phone, my daughter, who was looking for my approval, would have looked at a mom who was staring at her phone.  She might not have noticed that she did not get a thumbs up sign, but she would see that her mom was, once again, distracted with things that aren't really worthy of so much time.

I am now thankful that Handsome Dude threw up all over me.  If he had not, I would not have showered and woke myself all up.  If I was not awake, I would not have read that article.

If I had not read that article, I would not have been convicted.  And although being convicted is never all fun and giggles, it is a big blessing.  Because it offers you a chance to change things that you don't like.

So go read that article.  I hope you find it encouraging.