I still struggle with wanting to be the perfect mother for my older adopted children. I know they have witnessed so many failures over the years by their loved ones. They have been let down and disappointed to the point of expecting it. That is why I have tried to be a super mom over the years. The mom who never changes her mind, misses an appointment, or reneges on anything. It is a tough calling; obviously none of us are able in our own power to pull off such perfection. I have gotten a little better over the years because our children also need to know that it is ok to fail. Just as long as you pick yourself up, brush yourself off, and try again. However, this morning, with two children running temperatures over 100, I still felt guilty for not taking my older adopted children to church. The ones not running temperatures were coughing too along with Super Dad and me.

It isn’t very fun being stuck in a house with 10 sick people. I also wondered if our church family would think that we missed church because of the time change. We had to set our clocks ahead an hour Saturday night, which meant that we lost an hour of sleep. Those who forgot to set their clocks ahead would have been an hour late for church. I heard on the radio that this is the worst Sunday of the year for church attendance. Therefore, I felt even guiltier for not attending and adding to the statistic.

Yes, I want my adopted children to hear the word of God. I want them to hear it from other adults and children, because children are sometimes more receptive to people other than their parents. But, I also want them to develop solid Christian friendships that I pray will last a lifetime for them. I want them to have Christian friends to turn to when they need advice or are subjected to peer pressure.

They didn’t mention that they were disappointed this morning. Actually, they didn’t even get dressed up. They must have realized how sick the little ones were, which shows progress for them. Poor little Ali’s eyes were stuck shut when she awoke crying this morning. We had to soak them with a warm washcloth to get them open.


Photo Credit Julia Fuller 2007