Desperate Children Series

Series: Desperate Households

Message: Desperate Children

CenterPointe Christian Church – 12.4.05

Introduction:

Yakov Smirnoff, the Russian comedian, wrote a book, "Seeing the USA on Six Rubles a Day." In it he tells about being overwhelmed when he first entered an American supermarket & saw the great variety of products there. He just couldn’t believe it.

He wrote, "As I walked down the aisles, the first thing I noticed was powdered milk. ‘Just add water & you get milk.’ Then I saw powdered orange juice. ‘Just add water & you get orange juice.’ Then I saw baby powder, & I thought to myself, ‘What a country!’"

We’ve been in this series entitled – Desperate Households

• First, the couple was married

• Then, we talked to the guys about their role within marriage

• Last week we talked to the ladies.

What’s typically next – the children, babies.

And then life really changes. Have you ever thought about the changes that come with each child you add to your family?

A mother’s wardrobe

• 1st baby: You begin wearing maternity clothes as soon as your doctor

confirms your pregnancy.

• 2nd baby: You wear your regular clothes for as long as possible.

• 3rd baby: Your maternity clothes ARE your regular clothes.

A mom preparing for the Birth

• 1st baby: You practice your breathing religiously.

• 2nd baby: You don’t bother practicing because you remember that last

time, breathing didn’t do a thing.

• 3rd baby: You ask for an epidural in your 8th month.

The Babies Clothing

• 1st baby: You pre-wash your newborn’s clothes, color-coordinate them,

and fold them neatly in the baby’s little bureau.

• 2nd baby: You check to make sure that the clothes are clean and discard only the ones with the darkest stains.

• 3rd baby: Boys can wear pink, can’t they?

Pacifier

• 1st baby: If the pacifier falls on the floor, you put it away until you can go home and wash and boil it.

• 2nd baby: When the pacifier falls on the floor, you squirt it off with some juice from the baby’s bottle.

• 3rd baby: You wipe it off on your shirt and pop it back in.

Diapering

• 1st baby: You change your baby’s diapers every hour, whether they need it or not.

• 2nd baby: You change their diaper every 2 to 3 hours, if needed.

• 3rd baby: You try to change their diaper before others start to

complain about the smell or you see it sagging to their knees.

Going Out

• 1st baby: The first time you leave your baby with a sitter, you call

home 5 times.

• 2nd baby: Just before you walk out the door, you remember to leave a

number where you can be reached.

• 3rd baby: You leave instructions for the sitter to call only if she sees blood.

At Home

• 1st baby: You spend a good bit of every day just gazing at the baby.

• 2nd baby: You spend a bit of every day watching to be sure your older

child isn’t squeezing, poking, or hitting the baby.

• 3rd baby: You spend a little bit of every day hiding from the children.

Life changes so fast.

First you meet.

Then you date.

Marriage arrives quickly

Babies arrive and your style changes from one child to the next

And then…Your children get smart like these children.

For example:

• Patrick, age 10, said, “Never trust a dog to watch your food.”

• Michael, 14, said, “When your dad is mad and asks you, "Do I look stupid?" don’t answer him.”

• Michael, wise man that he was also said, “Never tell your mom her diet’s not working.”

• Randy, 9 years of age said, “Stay away from prunes.” One wonders how he discovered that bit of wisdom.

• Samantha, age 9, said, “Never hold a dust buster and a cat at the same time.”

• Naomi, 15 said, “If you want a kitten, start out by asking for a horse.”

• Lauren, age 9 said, “Felt markers are not good to use as lipstick.”

• Joel, 10 years old, said, “Don’t pick on your sister when she’s holding a baseball bat.”

• Eileen, age 8 said, “Never try to baptize a cat.”

What happens from being cute little babies, to these wise young children?

What happens with our teenagers and the choices they make?

Josh McDowell, Christian author and preacher, wrote a book a few years back called “Right from Wrong” and after reading it you can see that our Christian values/lifestyle is not being passed on to our teens.

Parent’s #1 fear according to George Barna is the fear of raising children.

You can see why when, McDowell states;

• Teen pregnancy has increased over 500% in the past thirty years