A declaration that his mother taught him

Background: My son asks to go outside to play. I tell him yes. He must put on socks and his heavy coat. He puts on the socks, looks at the coat and declares he doesn’t want to wear the coat because it too big. I tell him again to put on the big coat. He proceeds to grab his spring jacket. He’s instructed to make the right decision based on the instructions given. He chooses the spring jacket. I say ok, and let him go outside. 3 minutes later he comes back in the house stating it’s cold and tries to now put on the heavy coat. I deny him this privilege and send him back outside for 30 minutes.

My child goes back outside and curls up in the patio chair with his flimsy hood over his head. I try once more to educate this child. I open the door and tell him that he’ll stay warmer if he moves around. I close the door and he continues to sulk, curled up in the chair. As some may know, I have a strong willed child in my house. This breed of child is one that requires creativity. They’re the kind that want to find out for themselves and demand their own way. My husband and I were not that child, but we have family members that are or were that way. We have seen this before, but it’s different when you have one.

The passage about the Proverbs 31 woman typically begins about verse 10. But today’s post takes us all the way to Proverbs 31:1. Verses 1-9 are sayings written by a king that were taught to him by his mother. The sayings strongly advise against strong drink, wreckless relations with women and anything that destroys kings. She also admonishes him to be a righteous judge and to stand up for the poor and needy. Verse 1 is striking to me. Combining a few different translations, it reads like this,

“Oh my son? What are you doing, son of my womb? What are you doing son of the answer to my prayers?”

The writer could have skipped over the part where his mother is calling him out for engaging in sin. But he includes this. It denotes his importance to her and who he is to her, regardless of his actions. My son, the one I gave birth to, the one I prayed for. This is followed by instruction (taking down to verse 26). I surmise that the king was similar to my child, wanting to see for himself and doing his own thing, even after being instructed how to do the right thing. The words of the king’s mother were strong but filled with love and compassion. Filled with wisdom.

I have to admit that my husband and I chuckled at this boy’s disobedience as he’s curled up in the chair with his windbreaker on in 39 degree weather. But I must teach him now that what I say, is not an option, it’s the best choice for you to enjoy life. It’s our job to be diligent with our children and to instruct them with words of wisdom in kindness, even when they are wrong. They may not practice immediate obedience, but one day they’ll share with others the declarations of their mother.

References: Proverbs 31:1,26