Experiences In LIFE

It's interesting how things that happen affect how we act or think.

Years ago I was with some other young mothers when one of them was telling about her daily routine. Her husband had been an Army officer and was a very disciplined individual. Every morning before he left for work he gave his wife a list of things he expected her to do. She didn't seem to be complaining so much as explaining how tired she was at the end of the day. The rest of us were flabbergasted - that he was treating his wife like an airhead! We did not express that so much to her, however.

When I got home and told Leon - my disbelief came out. I didn't know how she did it! Small children and housework alone can keep a mom busy! Leon has remembered my chagrin with amusement.

Some men take "being the head" to the extreme. We all can and do that in some areas if we aren't careful! A Facebook friend recently put on her page -

"Make it idiot proof and someone will make a better idiot".

I know the husband should be the "head of the house" (speaking as a believer) - but also remember his wife is his helpmate - not someone who doesn't have the capacity to think. The expression of "being the head" is having the final say in serious matters. SOMEone has to have the final say and God gave that decision to the man. That should be no problem - it's one less thing for the wife to worry about. That husband's letting his wife take care of her own work day (she seemed like an intelligent woman) would have lightened his load. Now I like to think I couldn't see the whole picture - that though he was a creature of habit he was a very loving man which may have been why she was not complaining about his giving her a list as much as bemoaning the list itself

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When I was a teenager a young couple was visiting us with a couple of small rambunctious children who were whooping it up - running around the house and through the conversation area where the adults were sitting. That made conversation extremely difficult and I was waiting for one of the parents to say something to them. FINALLY the father told the kids they needed to pipe down. But - halfway through my sigh of relief the mother said "Oh they're just having fun". (I inwardly groaned) Consequently - the kids did not "pipe down".

I decided that whatever my disagreement might be with my future husband I would not disagree with him about the kids discipline in front of them. We would talk when we were alone. Kids are not dumb. They pick up on disagreements like that and eventually play one parent against the other for their own advantage. They, after all, are just kids.

Besides the bible - we make judgments according to our experiences. Sometimes they're good - sometimes we don't have the whole picture - but hopefully we do the best we can.