“What was your mother? A lioness! Among
lions she crouched; in the midst of young lions she reared her cubs.”
Ezekial 19:2
“Eeaahhhhh!” came the distant
cry.
“Did you hear that?” I asked the
denful of sprawling kids.
“No. I’m sure it was nothing,”
Alexis mumbled, not looking up from her knitting. Since the baby was playing on
the floor next to me, he was ruled out as a possibility, and there was no way
the new kittens could make that sort of cry. Besides, they were tucked away in
the safety of my closet behind my wedding dress. Minutes passed before the
second cry rang out, and this time the kids heard it. “EEEAAAHHH!”
Leaping from their chairs, the
whole room scrambled to check on the kittens. Upon swinging open my closet
door, our neighbor’s giant cat bolted out of the room as if his tail was on
fire. Cat hair floated to the ground. Mama Cat’s hair stood straight up, and
her eyes were like saucers. King, the neighbor’s immense male cat, had been
locked in the closet with Mama Cat and her kittens. His hair stuck to her claws
and lay in tufts all over the carpet. The kittens huddled together in the
corner against the wall. How King got into our house and sniffed out the new
little family will remain a mystery, but he will never try that again. Our
small Mama Cat became the ferocious protector, courageously guarding her
babies, thrashing and tearing away at King’s fur. King was dethroned. There
will be a new respect for Mama Cat when she goes back outside to play.
Animals instinctively guard their
young at all costs. What has happened to us as a human race? Where are our
claws? If we don’t love and protect our children, who will? Are we foolish
enough to think they will be safely cared for by the smooth-talking wolf? All
mothers could learn from Mama Cat. There is a time for everything. Don’t be
afraid to use your claws if the situation calls for it.
(Taken from Live, Love, Laugh and Laundry?)
Challenge: Do your children feel like they can trust you? Provide a
safe environment emotionally for your children by not belittling their emotions
or laughing at their dreams. Protect them from would-be emotional predators by
allowing them to trust your confidence.
