Comments on: A Time to Love . . . Life and, so, Children

By: Katherine

Katherine — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 22:09:16 +0000

I loved Mary Poppins too! I didn’t even know what a suffragette was, but I would go around singing that one. :0) Votes for women!

By: A Time to Love . . . the Family » A Time to Laugh

A Time to Love . . . the Family » A Time to Laugh — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 19:29:26 +0000

[...] warms my heart that so many were incredulous about my recent claim that Evangelicals have a nutty idea of family life — that it rotates around the parents or [...]

By: stacy

stacy — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 15:15:24 +0000

I have heard that, too. My 2 year old has been sick a lot this past month and I, too, have loved the cuddle time. I love when he falls asleep on my lap as I hold him, I love rocking him and comforting him. That is my job as his mom! It is sad if people truly don’t comfort their children b/c of that teaching. I am not sure I am aware of any moms I know that do that. I suppose there could be. My friends who have also grown up fundy certainly comfort their children. Like I said earlier, I am not saying the teaching is right, just that most mom’s are still good moms. They use common sense and nurture and comfort their children.

By: Mel

Mel — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 19:48:10 +0000

While I felt sad that he was ill, I confess I was enjoying the extra snuggle time. During those long, quiet nighttime hours I recalled being dogmatically taught in my Fundy days that the crying that stops when you enter the room is evidence of a deceitful heart, and therefore sinful. Let them cry to teach them not to lie! How utterly inhumane.

Agreed, Jen. I don’t think there are mill-stones heavy enough for those who teach that crap.

By: Jaimie

Jaimie — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 20:16:09 +0000

I was referred here by my aunt, Aunt Kay. Kay B, or Kay Bohhnahhh… hm, I don’t know how protective she is of her name on the interwebs.

I say a hearty, capitalized Thank God for the women who fought for suffrage and sex equality so that I have a choice to either watch my children or have fun with the girls on future Friday nights. I say Hurray that we can reflect upon how our time, as women and wives, ought to be spent. Yay for free will, and all of that.

By: Jen K

Jen K — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 06:58:13 +0000

Funny you should post this. I was just thinking about this myself. My children have a CD of the Mary Poppins soundtrack but have never seen the movie. They have been asking me to fill in the holes in the plot between the songs, and we’ve gone philosophical in quite a few of our conversations.

The other night, my youngest had a fever. He was toughing it out bravely, but I knew he was feeling awful. Whenever he would start to whimper in the night, as soon as I would enter the room, he would stop, comforted by my mere presence. We would sit and rock until he fell back asleep, and then I would tiptoe out for a while until he woke again.

With a liberating change in my doctrinal stance also came a liberating change in my parenting ideals. Enthusiastically nurturing these little ones is such a beautiful picture of God’s care for us – a privilege, really, to serve Christ by just plain old enjoying our children.

By: Will

Will — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 20:39:06 +0000

Whether what you say about Evangelicals and their kids is true as a whole or not, I don’t know. But I do have two important comments to make.

First, we have tried to nurture our children, and we are probably very on board with where you’re going with this.

Second, and perhaps more importantly…I LOVE Mary Poppins!!! I want to see the Broadway show really badly! Maybe I’ll start a website for people to donate to my cause to raise money so I can go.

By: T-I-M-E, The Spelling Of Love

T-I-M-E, The Spelling Of Love — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 13:10:32 +0000

[...] A Time to Laugh » A Time to Love A Time to Love . . . Life and, so, Children. For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon [...] Mail this post [...]

By: Mel

Mel — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 18:43:03 +0000

I’m sure you didn’t miss the symbolism in Mrs. Bank’s suffragette ribbon being used for the children’s kite tail.

At this point in my life, it’s almost physically pit-in-the-stomach painful to hear men in the pulpit (those w/o kids and doting grandpas alike) speaking of the selfish & demanding (sin-filled?!) ways of the littlest among us. Even if they’re kind enough not to use the term “vipers,” the attitude carries all too well. Do we really wonder why our older teens and young people are leaving the church in droves??

But perhaps I’m over-reacting because of the little 2 week old I get to snuggle with…. who looks so much like a “little bird” when he’s hungry.

By: Dan Keller

Dan Keller — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 17:02:02 +0000

I did see Mary Poppins in 1964 or 65. We weren’t fundamentalists yet. It was my favorite movie until Jungle Book. What you say about Mary and the children befriending the marginalized is very true and I never realized that. We continually challenge our congregants to find the marginalized in society, and Disney did it a long time ago.

Thanks. I’ve just discovered what my Lent Bible Study will be: The Gospel According to Disney.