afternoon conversations and why I should have been a nun

My ten year old son was just walking around the house with his iPad talking to his face time friend.

"This is my kitchen...here is my lovely mom...this is our dog Copper...and this is the room where my mom and dad pray."

"PRAY???" came from the confused voice on the other side; like he had never heard of prayer.

Without missing a beat, my son said, "yeah, pray....hey you wanna see my room?"

And off he went upstairs.

This was a bright spot in my day, as I struggle with my job as mother lately. I do not feel like I have the right tools to parent effectively and I certainly regret about 80% of the things I have said, allowed or turned a blind eye to. But I can't quit. I tried. My husband won't let me. I just can not help but wonder if I got this calling all wrong...like, maybe I was supposed to be a nun...or at least just stayed single and worked retail instead. I was good at selling retail.

I took the moment with my son and his friend and his total comfortableness in mentioning that we pray, and I thanked God for the moment and His nod to my parenting, because if my kids know that their mom and dad pray together, maybe I am not doing such a bad parenting job after all.

But before I could finish my prayer my thirteen year old, knock out of a daughter came in.

"Mom??? I sort of just got a boyfriend. I don't know how it happened."

Lord, have mercy on me.