W.W.M.D.

A few years back, "W.W.J.D." could be seen on the wrists of teenagers everywhere.  "What Would Jesus Do" was the answer-in-question-form for seemingly every quandary.


As a mom, it's sometimes hard for me to wonder what Jesus would do in my situation.


He didn't have children.  He had the delight of having children love him, and when they were unruly (IF they were unruly - we're talking about Jesus here; would little ones really dare scream "NO!" in His face??), he could send them back to their mortified parents.


Before you worry that I'm headed down a path of hell and damnation, just bear with me for a moment.


My Catholic upbringing fortunately provided me with an arsenal of "Go To" examples for the What Would So-And-So Do question.  There are, of course, the Saints.  And no matter what you believe in, you've been living under a rock if you haven't heard of Blessed Mother Theresa.  Finally, there is the ultimate Go To mother: Mary.

The last 48 hours have been particularly trying with our two year old.  His language skills have exploded, and with it, his temper has reared it's ugly head and his need to establish sovereignty has hit fever pitch.  My formerly charming mohawk clad half-pint has turned into a smart mouthed, tantrum pitching, patience trying, fire breathing two foot tall dragon.  If you don't believe me, just ask anyone with whom we have crossed paths in the last couple of days.


Following our latest episode (less than two minutes before this post), I retreated to my room to lick my wounds and prepare for the next battle.  As I thought about how I could have better handled or all together prevented this morning's outburst, I found my thoughts wandering to Mary.  Yes, THE Mary.  The virgin mother of Jesus.  


It seemed fitting: we just celebrated the birth of Jesus in Christmas.  When you're holding a tiny baby - whether it's a child born in a manger or one delivered at Northside Hospital - you can't help but look into that beautiful, innocent, helpless face and think about the infinite possibilities the tiny life possesses.  At that moment, you have no idea what the future will hold and certainly cannot fathom the concept of the trying two's hitting your household.


I wondered... did Jesus go through the terrible Terrific Two's?  And if so, What Did Mary Do?


He was Jesus after all - perfectly Divine and entirely human with all of the imperfections that encompasses.  And while most available biblical accounts of His life do not give us much insight into what things were like at home when He was a child, we do know that Jesus had an independent streak.  One needs to only look so far as the story of when His parents found Him in the temple to see that example.  


Religious convictions aside, I can't help but wonder if Jesus had tantrums as a kid.  And if in fact He did, how do you think His mother would have handled it?


Christian teaching says that Mary knew she would bear God's only son.  Wow.  Can you even imagine the stress that goes along with THAT??  Sure, she had her reputation to worry about - the virgin bride pregnant before she was even officially betrothed.  But as a mom, I think the more scary thought is what to do with Him once He is here!  Pregnancy, labor, and delivering a child surrounded by cows and donkeys were the easy parts of that deal.  That's nature.  Her body knew how to handle those details.  The tough part happened when the nurturing and raising of the Holy child had to take place.  


I mean, we're talking about Jesus.  THE Son of God.  The ONLY Son of God.  I wonder if Jesus got spanked... and if so, I have to believe that the words "This will hurt me more than it hurts you" had much more significant meaning then than they do now!  Forget DFCS.  She literally had The Wrath of God to worry about.  

Thankfully, I'm not raising The Son most Divine.  I'm raising a Colombian-Irish hybrid with the charm of a Guiness drinking Rico Suave and the temper of a bull who has just discovered that the keg is empty.  It's a beautiful, volatile mixture.  


Still, in the tough moments of raising a two year old, it does help to pause and ask myself, "What Would Mary Do?"  It certainly doesn't give me any clear answers, but it does make me smile and be thankful for my 100% Human child whom I can send to time-out without a shred of guilt or second guessing.  


Love, hugs, and blessings,
The Mama