I have often heard people say how much they have sacrificed for their children & it has caused me to think about the word sacrifice.

Webster’s definition: sac·ri·fice 1 : an act of offering to a deity something precious;
2 : something offered in sacrifice
3 a : destruction or surrender of something for the sake of something else b : something given up or lost

Yes, some parents do sacrifice FOR their children as in definition 3 but unfortunately, some are simply sacrificing their children for the sake of their own happiness as in definitions 1 & 2.

What do I mean by this? I am not talking about the old stay home mom vs working mom. Both situations require sacrifice on the mother’s part and the child. I am talking about the fact that some mothers are sacrificing valuable time with their children and are too busy spending time doing activities that are for themselves. Have I been guilty of this? Yes! I have had to step back and re-evaluate many of the activities in my life. I have had to give up things that I enjoyed because I was away from home way too much. So many people spend a lot of time chasing their own dreams (make more money, meet famous people, travel to many countries, etc) that they don’t have time to chase their child around the house in pursuit of a good tickle attack. The time that I have with my kids is precious. One of these days they will be taking care of their own families and I won’t get to see them as much. When this happens, I will have the time to do all of the things that I want to do. I don’t want to sacrifice my children by being an absent mom.  My kids need me NOW so I am willing to make the sacrifices needed to give them what they need, which right now, is me.

Am I saying that mothers should not do anything but be with their kids at all time? Of course not!  We DO need some time away so we can regroup and refresh. Even Jesus tells the disciples to get away for rest in Mark 6:30-32. I am just saying, look at what activities you have in your life and see how much time you actually are spending away from your children and cut some of the extra foo-foo stuff out.  I still play Bunko, go to Women’s Bible/Book Groups, have dinner with friends, and volunteer but if I had to give up these activities, I would do it in a heart beat.  What’s important in your life?  What are your priorities?  Children are a gift from God, so I really hope you are treasuring those special people that He has given you.

Filed under: Blog, Parenting, Reflections