Edith Schaeffer talks about dealing with blow ups. I know some families don't have many of these but we (me being the chief offender) have been rather prone to them, though I think we have improved immensley over the years. After years of repenting and praying, they seem to be less frequent and far less intense. Nevertheless, I appreciate the guidance Mrs. Shaeffer gives here after she describes a mother breaking plates out of frustration with her family. Does she condemn this mother? No.
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"Something needs to come out, right away, or an hour later, two hours later. And there needs to be some exchange of forgiveness, understanding, and an ending to the day at some point - fixing a cup of tea or coffee or a milk shake or apple juice and cookies or toast and sitting down together to talk, or read a book or play a game of checkers, and going to bed together.
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"Why bother? Because it is not letting big things grow out of little things which is important in keeping an environment of togetherness. The anger, sharp words, outbursts, frustrated feelings, and swift wave of wanting some sort of revenge may boil over like cream of chicken soup all over the stove, lifting the lid and making a mess of brown ugliness all over the sides of the pan and the stove. Just as with the icky mess of soup-the need is to take a deep breath and plunge in to clean up."
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She talks about the importance of someone making the family their career and how the natural person suited for this is the mother. She encourages women to take their rightful place and make the office of wife and mother an exciting vocation "in an age when women are in danger of becoming extinct in the drive to be neuter". How much more so now than even in 1975 when she wrote this book? In 1975 I was a little girl and still most mothers were home being homemakers. Mrs. Shaeffer obviously could see what was coming.
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"The psychological, emotional, spiritual, intellectual air, imperfect though it may be, of a family really attempting to live as a family and to stop looking for perfection elsewhere, will provide not only what is needed for a baby to grow, but for an adult as well.
Human adults (MamaLion: and teenagers too) make such stupid mistakes in spending a lifetime chasing rainbows. They chase an elusive thing called 'happiness' which they have vague daydreams about and picture in unrealistic ways, while wasting what they could have if they had spent time and imagination and work and all their talents in developing what they did have to start with."
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Turning hearts toward home - that is the phrase that comes to mind.
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