The other day I was in a bad mood. I woke up grumpy and wanted everyone to know that I wasn’t happy. The whole day just went badly from there. The girls were whiney and picking at each other…every little thing tried my patience…and of course it was all my husband’s fault (because I had to put the blame on someone, right?).
By the time my innocent husband walked in the door from work at the end of the day, I had a messy house, crying children, and a long list in my mind of made-up things he was unknowingly guilty of .
Everyone has bad days, where life overwhelms you and even the smallest of tasks just seems like too much to handle. For me, the girls and I had been fighting colds all week, I had been sleeping badly as a result, and good ‘ole PMS was in full swing. What I could normally deal with just fine, with a somewhat joy-filled attitude, I just couldn’t deal with.
It’s like my husband has told me in the past, “It’s ok to have a bad day..you can’t be awesome every day”.
I was definitely not feeling very awesome that day, that’s for sure! My children, in their sensitive young nature, immediately picked up on my bad vibes and as a result of me not having things together, felt a bit off themselves.
“If Mama Ain’t Happy…”
My dad used to always sing a little part of an old song, “If mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy…daddy’s gonna make mama happy tonight!”
As I kid it made me feel secure knowing that if my mom wasn’t happy, dad would make it all better (I tried not to read too much into that part!). If mama was happy, all was right in the world.
I know my mom went through some tough times with us kids, and life wasn’t always sunshine and roses. I can recall my mom crying and having bad days. But in my memory, mom was almost always positive, cheery, upbeat and optimistic. When I think of my home growing up, it was a warm, happy, safe place of love and joy.
Your Home Atmosphere
Us moms have a lot of power over the mood of our home. When a mom is joyful in spite of hard times and difficult circumstances, when her attitude is one of thankfulness and calm trust in God’s goodness, it’s very hard for her kids and husband to be grumpy. Joy really is contagious, and a calm and peaceful attitude is hard to stay away from.
Your home atmosphere is one that your kids will remember for years to come, so take the time to do what you need to do personally to have a good attitude of joy and thanksgiving. For some of us, that means:
- having a daily quiet time with the Lord and reflecting on His faithfulness
- having Bible verses posted around the house as a visual reminder of God’s promises and all the reasons you have to be thankful
- making a list of things you are thankful for and write it on your bathroom mirror.
- having family sharing time around the supper table of a few things you are grateful for
- having prayers of thankfulness in your daily routine with your children at some point in the day (before bed, at breakfast, before eating supper, etc.).
And when you do have a bad day, as we all will, praise God that night for a new day in the morning and second chances. As Miss Stacy says to a distressed Anne in the Anne of Green Gables movie, “Tomorrow is a new day, with no mistakes in it..yet!”.
The day after my grumpy day, I was feeling much better (remembering to take my hormone balancing cream helped the PMS!), and the girls and I had a lovely, relaxing day. My husband came home to happy children, a smiling wife, and some nice family time together.
Starting today I’m going to make a better effort to write out a few things I’m thankful for on our family board in the kitchen. What are some things you will do to keep an atmosphere of joy and thankfulness in your home? I’d love to hear from you!
Today I’m thankful for:
- God’s grace when I have a bad day
- The sound of my wind chimes in the warm spring breeze
- Children’s laughter coming from the park across the street
- Brightly coloured tulips in my garden that remind me that winter is over and “His mercies are new every morning, great is His faithfulness”. Lam 3:22-23
