The Baby Wears Prada

There is a movie out starring Meryl Streep called "The Devil Wears Prada" and it's about this girl who goes to work as an assistant to an editor in chief of a prestigious fashion magazine. The boss, played scarily well by Meryl Streep, is impossible. She makes demands that are impossible for even the very best assistant to carry out, then verbally attacks the unfortunate employee.

Now, please let me make it clear...I do not think my child is a "devil" (the character's reference in the title.) However, when it comes to meeting the incessant demands of another person, I can certainly relate to Anne Hathaway's character of the endless frustrations of trying to please her "boss" and always feeling like she falls short. Sometimes I wonder just who is "boss" at my house. Of course seasoned parents joke with the new moms about having a baby and no longer having any control over their own lives. But this joke is ringing just a little too true lately in our household. Some people try to encourage us and say, "This too shall pass". When? Next week? Next year?

As a parent, everyone has an achiles heel. Some parents hate whining, others hate changing diapers. Mine is lack of sleep. If I do not sleep, and I'm not talking the full 8-9 hours, but I'll take even 6 or 7 hours, I cannot function right. I don't eat right. I don't exercise (who has the energy?), and I don't think right. I start to stagnate like some kind of unintelligent sludge. (That's no excuse for blog bombs, I know...! But bear with me...)

When I was in singles' leadership at my old church, we were required to attend a sort of 3-day leadership bootcamp. We went through just about everything the army puts its recruits through, sans weapons, of course. My biggest challenge was being woken up and commanded to line up in formation at 1:00 in the morning, an hour after going to bed, following a long grueling physical regimine. We had been told prior to this that if we wanted to give up and go home, a vehicle would be heading back down the mountain the next morning and we could go. When the rap! rap! rap! came to our barracks door, and we sleepily packed on our heavy packs which were required and submitted to our superiors, I said, "That's it! I'm leaving tomorrow". That night was my turning point. I didn't quit, of course, and I felt victorious on the last day when they honored us with a ring and a special ceremony. That was just 3 days of sleep deprivation. THIS is TEETHING.

A funny thing...teeth. We take ours for granted when we eat or when we brush them at night. But somebody...some parent had to endure nights of our crying and waking every hour or so with gum pain and earaches to get these teeth. At least this is the case for some folks. Then I read about other types of children who just grin and go about their business and then one day...whamo! Teeth appear. I would like to meet these come-what-may babies. I would like to know the stuff they are made of.

Every night I get ready for my "boss'es" tirades. I have the Tylenol, Orajel, and homeopathic teething tabs handy. I start with a cold wet washcloth, which is readily received. Round 1. All is calm on the homfront shortly after bedtime. Then, as I am writing this blog, for instance, the siren sounds. Waaaaaaaah! I rush up the stairs like "Jeanie" in Ferris Beuller's Day Off when she is escaping the intruder. Then I go through the repertoire: Orajel, rocking, cooing, soothing. Mommy's here. Mommy knows. Owwie. Then silent slumber at last. I go downstairs, settle into my rocker with book or remote control in hand. Round 2. Waaaaaah! And on it goes....

One night I had a dream. In the dream, I was an assistant (like in the Prada movie). Only I was assistant to a diva. Literally, the word sat before me like words on a tv screen. DIVA. The lady I worked for had us all running. Preparing for some big event that took days and days of hard work and effort. Then, when it was time for the event, everything had to be changed. Nothing we prepared would apply to the new plans. We had to be extremely flexible. Weeks after having that dream, I still think about it and compare it to parenting. No matter how much you prepare, no matter how much you invest or study, you still have to remain flexible. You are caring for another human being and that requires flexibility.

And you cannot quit. You cannot go back down the mountain. You have to stay and tough it out. Another person depends on you. It's not a mock-up boot camp. It's real life. And hopefully, the rewards far outweigh any victory ring I can earn here on earth. I am counting on my reward going on for eternity. I suppose that's worth a little "Prada" here and there!

So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very little while, " He who is coming will come and will not delay. But the righteous shall live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him." --Hebrews 10:35-38.