"Press Play" Day

I woke up this morning with the most horrible - horrible - pain in my back. It's a shooting pain right between my shoulder blades, and it gets worse if I move my head in any directions. Ibuprofen and Tylenol did nothing to remedy my pain... only a nap on the heating pad while the boys were down relieved it by a few degrees. Ugh.

There are few things more discouraging than pain that will not go away.

At one point during the morning, I was sitting on the living room floor with my head in my hands, trying to think of what else I might do to ease this distracting, stabbing pain in my shoulders. Tucker came over to me... "Mommy? Mommy? Mommy?"

I said, "Hi, Buddy. Mommy's hurt. Mommy's back hurts. Mommy is sad."

My sweet two-year-old signed hurt, sad. And then, bless his heart, he reached behind me and rubbed my back. What a tender spirit he has.

Given the circumstances that came with this morning, I have to confess: today was a "Press Play" Day. The TV was on all morning. At first, I tried to be intentional about Veggie Tales and Praise Baby videos, but I finally gave in and just turned on the Disney Channel, giving thanks for commercial-free programming and leaving my children's brain development to other authorities.

This is not my style. We are not a TV-free home, but I try to limit the exposure, even to Mickey Mouse and his friends. So I was tempted to give in to the guilt that comes with such a day. But then I remembered the kind words of Kevin Leman and James Dobson, two reigning authorities on parenting:

Parenting is about decades, not about days. So give yourself some grace when the day doesn't go as you had planned. There's always tomorrow.

Thanks, guys. I feel better already.

But I am truly rejoicing that the Lord answered this prayer today: I asked Him again and again to please keep me from losing my patience with my precious boys, simply because I did not feel well. Please don't let them feel the pain in their hearts that I feel in my back. So far, so good. Thanks, God.

I am hopeful that tomorrow will contain less pain for me and less TV for the kiddos, and we can work on more effective brain nourishment and world-renowned preliteracy techniques.

For now, bring on the Disney Channel.