Worry & Corn Dogs

First, an update on "Mass Hysteria." Last week at church we had a meltdown. By "we" I mean mostly me, but Liam too. I was sweating & nearly in tears by the end of Mass. This week, praise God, was a different story. What a difference an hour makes! Normally Liam gets up between 7 & 7:15 and then goes back down for a nap at 9. That makes an hour+ church service at 8:30 a disaster waiting to happen. So, this week, I got him up a bit early, at 6:30, fed & dressed him quickly and made it to 7am Mass. He was an angel! Well, an angel that sqwaked now and again, but still. It was great. And the best part, we sat next to my dad who held Liam during The Lord's Prayer. It was such a blessing to hear my dad saying it as though he was teaching Liam the words. I bet it was a neat moment for him too.

Thank you to everyone who commented with support. If this is something you're dealing with and you haven't read Mom Squad Blogger, Julie's comments yet, she has a ton of great tips for kids of all ages including a great story about a corndog. Yeah, a corndog.

Part of my issue from last week when Liam was so fussy was worrying about what the people around me were thinking. This week I worried if he'd be better at a different time and now I'm worried that I won't have the willpower to get up early each week to go at a time that works for his schedule. Worry! Worry! Worry! It's a common theme in my life and in the lives of many moms, I'm sure, especially after the events in Colorado last week. Can we send our kids to the movies and expect them to come home safely to us? What about sending them to a friend's house to spend the night? Will the adults there be responsible and moral?

We can do our best to raise perfect children, but no matter how perfect they are, there are dangers and evil in this world. We have to remember that God is bigger than any of those evils and He does not want us to worry! Worry is a misuse of the imagination and a lack of trust in Him. Yes, I'm telling myself this too. I struggle with worry, but I'm praying constantly for God to help me with this and He has. I'm getting better. I shared this on the air last week and if you're struggling with worry too, give it a try. It's a mental exercise called a "Worry Wall." It's a way to strengthen your faith and keep worry from stealing your peace.