Comments on: Control

By: Erik Bledsoe

Erik Bledsoe — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 17:21:44 +0000

Hey TheArtofWhimsy, nice to meet you. Thanks for joining in the discussion. I look forward to reading through your blog and getting to know you a little bit too.
I can see how you would think that and I appreciate your saying so. (I wouldn’t want you to hold back, especially after reading your recent “butt-crack” and a cheeseburger story, Hysterical!) I can’t speak for my wife but for me it wasn’t about the fear of having children. I just never wanted to have them at all. I suppose on some level you could label that as fear but I don’t. I seriously just never wanted them. What changed? I got suckered into nursery duty at church! Again, I don’t have trouble with trying to control as a principal, it’s in relying on our own means and never having turned to the Lord first that I’m trying to point the problem exists.

By: TheArtofWhimsy

TheArtofWhimsy — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 13:18:17 +0000

So the pill was a means for you to control having children out of fear (not being “ready” financially or emotionally or whatever).

By: Erik Bledsoe

Erik Bledsoe — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 23:47:56 +0000

Brody, it was a pill. I had several commenters via Facebook who read this post improperly. They thought I was condemning finding out and control in general. What I need to emphasize again is that I have no problem with modern technology and certainly don’t think control is wrong in and of itself is wrong. In fact self-control is a virtue listed in Galatians. (Perhaps the post is improperly titled.) What I am truly addressing here is fear and how we often use things in our power to alleviate our fears. A perfect example is food. We all eat food, furthermore it’s required for life but it often times becomes a control device, something to make us feel better, a distraction from having to deal with our circumstances. No one argue’s eating is sin but yet we’ve all seen someone who has/is using it as such. In the same way control is not sin, it’s only when we seek our control first before we seek God that it can become destructive. In this post I am speaking directly to this tendency. Thanks for bring that up, I needed to clarify that here as well.

By: Brody

Brody — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 22:03:56 +0000

I suppose my initial question is what prevented you from having kids before now? Since we’re talking about “control” and all….

By: Adrianna Aguilar

Adrianna Aguilar — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 21:03:16 +0000

As a young mother myself, I thank God for letting me go down the road I am on, even though I do not get very much sleep. Regardless, I love my son with all my heart. Once you have your bundle of joy you will have an unconditional love for your child. Yes, people are right when they say that you should really enjoy the nap times you get and any other kinds of rest, including massages… Having a child is a lot of work but at the end of the day when you look at your child you have nothing else to say except “thank you to God for the big blessing that you have sent me!” Personally, I don’t know what I would do without my baby boy. I can’t imagine any more what my life would be without him. And as for the father, he is so much in love with our son. Thanking Jesus everyday for my little family. Congratulations Erik! Will be praying for the pregnancy to go well for the remaining months.

By: Erik Bledsoe

Erik Bledsoe — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 20:29:19 +0000

You are all so wonderful for leaving us such kind wisdom! Betsy and I are so excited about what the Lord has for us. It means the world that you would go with us on that journey!

By: Julie Myers

Julie Myers — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 22:09:18 +0000

You will always have people giving you “advice” in your travels of life. I have learned to listen and nod my head. Some was sound andvice and some was just plain hilarious! Knowing the sex of your baby doesn’t make you anymore prepared as a parent. By the time your child reaches “at least” age 2, he/she will not want the cute pink bunnies or the blue trucks that are plastered all over their walls and stuff. Go neutral! By the time Addi was 2, she knew what she wanted and did not want. People would laugh at me when I would hold a dress or something up and ask, “Addi, will you wear this?”. They would say things like she’s too little, she shouldn’t care. Let me tell you…..they know! Other things that people would “volunteer” their opinions to me were natural childbirth and other medical “interference” during the birth. I can speak from experience! With my 1st angel, who is now 16, I had an epidural. It was great! She was born sick and had to be rushed to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital. So by now you can guess I am all for any medical “interferences” they may need to occur. God gave these great Drs. the wisdom to save our babies! My 2nd angel, who is now 13, was born with no meds! Not on purpose mind you! It was actually an equally amazing birth as with the meds! My 3rd angel, who is now an awesome Kindergartener, was the easiest and just as amazing! I knew the sex of her because of an amnio and it was quite obvious. My husband, on the other hand, did not know the sex! It was great! Let me leave you with my words of wisdom…………no matter if you know the sex ahead of time, dainty little girls in leotards and princess crowns can carry just as many frogs, jump in just as many mud puddles and play with just as many John Deere tractors as any little boy wearing a cowboy hat and barn boots and playing dress up with his sister and other girl cousings!
A few of my favorite quotes:
for my son:”trucks and dirt and shades of blue, but little boys are angels too”
for my daughters: Daddy, a daughter’s first love.

By: Angela@spinachtiger

Angela@spinachtiger — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 20:37:15 +0000

Just enjoy your sleep.The gender specific stuff doesn’t really come into play until 9 months or more, when a boy gets obsessed with anything on wheels and a girl with anything she can nurture. No one has to tell them to do these things. It just happens. In the meantime, get sleep, do everything in your house you want done for the next year or two, and oh did I mention get some sleep. I can’t wait to see him or her. And, maybe a few friends willing to bring you dinner. Really in those early months, it comes down to food and sleep.

By: Jennifer Cunningham

Jennifer Cunningham — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 23:59:59 +0000

As a mom of four I can speak with some experience about being “properly prepared” for your new baby. You will need the following:
- A car seat
- Seasonally appropriate clothing (Color to be determined)
- Diapers/Wipes (Lots and lots of diapers)
- Crib/Bedding
- Pacifiers
- Your camera, take LOTS of pictures
- A comfy spot for mom to nurse the baby (Bottles if your not nursing)
- Not minding your sleep being interrupted
All the other stuff is just icing on your new baby cake. I think it best to not get caught up in having a lot of unnecessary stuff.
Relax. Each milestone will come in it’s own time. I think some of the best parenting advice I got was: “Raise your children so that other people will actually like them.” – My Mom
God Bless!
Jennifer Cunningham