MY DREAM OF MANY CHILDREN

Scene 1 Act 1
I grew up in a really large family and longing for a large family of my own. I dreamt I would have 6 lovely children; 3 boys and 3 girls called (in order of birth) – Ethan, Siphra, Ezekiel (which we would shorten to Ziggy), Lael, Ebenezer and Abigail. Before you ask, these are all Hebrew names with prophetic meanings and I prayerfully picked them to match the personality of each child I had envisioned in my dreams. Mind you, this was before His Royal Husbandness (HRH) showed up.
Scene 1 Act 2
So after much prayer and considerations, here comes HRH. Along with him came sweaty palms, thumping heart and butterflies in my tummy. I was in love and very near the fulfillment of my childhood dreams; HRH, me and our lovely 6 children born one year after another. However, not very long into our relationship, he announced that he wanted just 1 child. ONE! Imagine that. One to my six! Who would I have and who wouldn’t I have? What would I do with the names? We fought over that until he finally conceded and said ‘well ok, two then’. ‘This is how dreams die’, I thought.
Scene 1 Act 3
So we had two. I juggled those names in my brain until I developed constant headaches. I would call the boy – Ethan Ezekiel Ebenezer and the girl - Siphra Lael Abigail. And amazingly and mercifully, number 3 came. But by then, even I was done. Enough! The three of them had the energies of a fully-fledged army that drained me (the commandant) every day. I didn’t want any more, I didn’t care about the names. In fact I didn’t even care if the ones I had had meaningful names or not. In my befuddled exhausted state, I resorted to calling them ‘hey u’ or ‘what’s your name sef’ or ‘who’s there’. I just wanted them to grow up quickly, be good responsible citizens and return me intact to my pre-motherhood phase (mentally if not physically); I never thought it would be this consuming having 3 not to talk of 6!
Scene 2 Act 1
So my very dear friend asks me to mind her kids for a week as she needs to travel urgently. They are aged 8 and 4, matching ages of my youngest 2. Finally, I am near that dream of long ago. I joyously take them home on Friday, planning all the things we would do over the weekend. For one week, I get to relive my childhood dream. I am even tempted to borrow my neighbour’s daughter so that the dream would be perfectly played out.
Scene 2 Act 2
It’s not working out the way I dreamt it! My bubble’s been burst. What was I expecting? I thought the perfect number would breed the perfect situation I had envisaged years ago. The new additions have only become recruits for my already energetic army. It’s the same old war times 2! More grumpiness, more whining, more fights over meals, toys and even me! More homework to check and more children to groom. I have become Supreme Court judge as I try to resolve the disputes, I face more accusations and was recently told this ‘It’s not fair, you always take sides with the girls, you don’t like boys!’ And bed times? Not a small feat – ‘Why?’, ‘I am not tired?’, ‘I can’t sleep’, ‘I am still hungry’….
The youngest 2 always find a reason to wake me up in the middle of the night; ‘I want water’ or ‘I want hot cocoa’. Last night it was the monster that was looking at them while they slept. I had to stand guard by the bed and chase the monster away!
And where is HRH in all of this? Thankfully, he’s been away otherwise if I dare complain, I would have heard it – nor be you want many children? So I am exhausted but enjoying this moment of mothering 5 young children, just one short of a dream of long ago. Tired as I am, I relish the fights, the full breakfast table, the prayer times when I get to hear everything that happened in their day and the amazing things they say to God.
Scene 2 Act 3
In a few days, my other children will be going back home. I really will miss them as I know mine will miss them too. The pace of activities will slow down somewhat but as long as I have my 3, I will remain supreme court judge and face whining and accusations (I still like girls!), I will check homework books still, I will groom little hands, heads and feet, I will be cried and jostled over and I will still be woken up in the middle of the night.
To think that I ever thought of having 6!
Final Scene & Act
Makes me think about God and His many children and our different issues….
Imagine His house!
Hmmh! I praise Him!