THERE are many irritable Christian mothers. "Christian mothers?"—Yes, Christian mothers. Sometimes they are mistaken Christians. Sometimes they are unwise Christians, nevertheless they are Christians.
They believe God. They accept His plan of salvation in Christ Jesus. They love God. They love His commandments, His service; they are willing to die for Him. But they get impatient with the children and the husband; and worry and fret over the work of the household, and the mistakes and blunders—often only seeming—of their family.
Then how they regret the irritability. How they mourn and weep and pray over their impatience. How exceedingly unsatisfactory is their life!
What Is the Trouble?
Sometimes it is without question in a selfish, cherished, fault-finding disposition which the mother puts forth no effort to overcome. Such can hardly be called Christian.
The Christian class are either ill or work too hard, or generally both. It is often a fact in many households that—
"Man's work is from sun to sun,
But woman's work is never done."
Nay, more; many men do not labor "from sun to sun." They work on an eight- nine- or ten-hour schedule. But many mothers work from the time the weary head is lifted from the pillow till the wearier head seeks repose for a few hours at night, too weary, perhaps, to sleep.
Is it a wonder the over-heated, over-worked nerves become irritated? Even the grace of God can not help when law is constantly transgressed.
What Is the Remedy?
Here are several suggestions:
1. Let the mother take some time every day to be alone with God. Ask Him to guide. Talk over household matters with Him. Tell Him all about it. Think of the things which would or would not please Him, and regulate work accordingly.
2. Let the mother and housewife simplify her work. Less attention to fashions and foibles, less attention to the elaborate dishes of food, less details in housework, fewer frills on children’s dresses, and a little time to lie down each day with every muscle and nerve relaxed, and breathe and rest and sleep. Do not worry if something must be left undone; better one or two things than all, when the sickness or death come.
The Boy Jesus Assisting His Parents.
Typical Mother and Child.
3. Let the strong husband and active children help the mother. Let her teach them to help her. "Awkward" at first, and "easier done" herself, probably, but they need to learn it, and it will result in good after they do learn. But let them study to help and to soothe the harassed nerves, to do many little tasks, so easily done, and so be helpful to the mother. The laying of the fire in the morning, the preparing of kindling, the bringing of wood and coal—always the man’s or boy’s work, if there are such—will help wonderfully in saving work for the mother and resting the tired body.
We heard not long since that a young lady declared that the hardest place for her to live a Christian was with her mother, because of that mother’s irritability. This is sad, and the mother may be wholly at fault. But we would like to inquire whether the daughter did her part to help the mother. So many times we have seen girls come home from a distant school, mother is glad to see them and anxious to help them and welcome them, takes pains to fix up their rooms, prepare their favorite dishes of food, and the daughters look idly on, drum on the piano, read a book or magazine, and then wonder if mother speaks fretfully or impatiently. The mother’s work for the daughter is a labor of love, but the nerves can not endure too great a strain. Let the daughter, weary tho she may be, put forth a little labor of love for mother. And let all the young mother readers so train their children that they will be the best of helpers.
