Making More Than a Bed
I make my daughter's bed.
Yes, the daughter who's 15.
Yes, she's perfectly capable of making her own bed.
Yes, perhaps she should.
But while some may accuse me of babying her too much and enabling her to be lazy, I disagree. She has weekly chores and responsibilities. Many nights, she helps me prepare dinner. I make her bed because I want to be intentional at home.
When she was small, I made her bed. Somewhere along the way, I taught her how to do it. I expected her to do it each morning before school. After all, how hard is it to pull up a comforter and fluff a pillow? Some mornings she complied, but many mornings she ran out of time. I knew arguments would make our already tense, hurried mornings worse. Besides, her dad worked swing shift and my own bed remained unmade much of the time because of his unusual sleep schedule. How could I expect something from her that I wasn't doing myself? At some point I decided that she was old enough to assume the responsibility of making her bed without my prodding; if she was embarrassed by an unmade bed when she had company, so be it.
That was our modus operandi for several years. And then I took a social media vacation. The free time I acquired before work was a gift; I could do a quick chore to make the evening smoother. One morning I took folded laundry to my girl's room and before I knew it, I was making her bed. It was my small offering that day, an opportunity to bless my daughter.
My goal is to be a godly mother and example to my girl. How does making her bed on occasion fit in? By setting an example of servanthood and appreciation. It's my way of letting her know that I love her, care for her comfort, and notice when she surprises me by cleaning out the pantry or doing a load of laundry.
Making her bed isn't something I do every day. She doesn't expect it or complain if I don't do it. She thanks me when I do. Soon enough that bed won't be unmade every morning. For now, I'll make it and pray the Lord will honor this small sacrifice, that it will make a lasting impression upon my girl and encourage her to be a woman who is intentional in her own home.
Yes, the daughter who's 15.
Yes, she's perfectly capable of making her own bed.
Yes, perhaps she should.
But while some may accuse me of babying her too much and enabling her to be lazy, I disagree. She has weekly chores and responsibilities. Many nights, she helps me prepare dinner. I make her bed because I want to be intentional at home.
When she was small, I made her bed. Somewhere along the way, I taught her how to do it. I expected her to do it each morning before school. After all, how hard is it to pull up a comforter and fluff a pillow? Some mornings she complied, but many mornings she ran out of time. I knew arguments would make our already tense, hurried mornings worse. Besides, her dad worked swing shift and my own bed remained unmade much of the time because of his unusual sleep schedule. How could I expect something from her that I wasn't doing myself? At some point I decided that she was old enough to assume the responsibility of making her bed without my prodding; if she was embarrassed by an unmade bed when she had company, so be it.
That was our modus operandi for several years. And then I took a social media vacation. The free time I acquired before work was a gift; I could do a quick chore to make the evening smoother. One morning I took folded laundry to my girl's room and before I knew it, I was making her bed. It was my small offering that day, an opportunity to bless my daughter.
My goal is to be a godly mother and example to my girl. How does making her bed on occasion fit in? By setting an example of servanthood and appreciation. It's my way of letting her know that I love her, care for her comfort, and notice when she surprises me by cleaning out the pantry or doing a load of laundry.
Making her bed isn't something I do every day. She doesn't expect it or complain if I don't do it. She thanks me when I do. Soon enough that bed won't be unmade every morning. For now, I'll make it and pray the Lord will honor this small sacrifice, that it will make a lasting impression upon my girl and encourage her to be a woman who is intentional in her own home.
Comments
Thanks for sharing this, Melissa. I think these little things matter to our girls and the Lord.