Can a Mess be a Blessing?

There I was talking to my friend today, who also share the joy of having a 22 month old daughter in the house, when she lamented having an active toddler in the house. Don't get me wrong, I can fully sympathize with it.  My own little monster give me a daily the run for my money. 

With a toddler in the house, a mess is sure to be happening on a regular basis.  And boy!  It can become tiring!  In our house, the occurrence of a mess is so normal that the family had become quite efficient in dealing with the daily disasters of toddlerhood.

When you have 3 kids at home all day, and one of them is a toddler, chaos is pretty much part of your life.  Add to it a whole zoo full of animals and chaos rules. 

As you enter my property, there is a sign in the garden, before you hit the front door.  "This house is clean enough to be healthy and dirty enough to be happy."

You see, kids needs chaos and mess.  That is their way to explore the world around them and make sense of life.  It took me a while to realize it and my husband still struggles with it.  Sure, there should be a time to pack away and clean-up, even if in theory only.  (Not that it happen often enough in this zoo!)  ;-)

So, what blessing is there in chaos and mess in your home?  It is a very important blessing.  One I wish all parents to have.  If your kids are daily destroying your house, stop to see why they are actually doing it.  A lot the of times, their answer to you would be that they wanted to see how it works, or what will happen or they are simply learning a skill, such as pouring, wiping and many more. 
If your child creates a mess, go on you knees and thank God for giving you child an inquiring mind.

I can speak pages full on this subject, but a lot of you won't like what I have to say.  Just remember, Edison and Einstein was seen as troubled children who constantly messed up there parents houses.  The Wright brothers were notorious for their antics.  They all had one thing in common, an inquiring mind.  Your child may not be the next genius, but if you nurture this, they will learn to think for themselves and stand up in world for what they believe in.

So:  Can a mess be a blessing?  If you nurture the mind behind the mess,  then yes, it is the biggest gift God gave your child.  An inquiring mind.  To find out for themselves, what is important.

Enjoy your blessings.

Signing of to enjoy mine.

Little old Lulu