Little Red Hen Syndrome

I stole this post right off my mom's blog today, but it is something I have been thinking about, so read her account and then I left some comments of my own at the bottom.

Little Red Hen

I'm sure most of you are familiar with the story of the Little Red Hen, who finds the grain of wheat; and plants, waters, weeds, reaps, grinds, bakes, etc. until she has a loaf of bread - and nobody is willing to help her until it comes time to eat the fresh-baked bread. At which point she selfishly keeps it all for herself and her chicks!

I have to admit that there are definitely times I feel like that little red hen. I'm the one who goes to work to earn the money to buy our food. I'm the one who does the menu planning on what we should make. I'm the one who does the grocery shopping. I'm the one who actually fixes the food, which is eagerly devoured by the rest of the family. I am then the one who does the dishes so that we have clean plates and bowls to eat our food off of.

The minimal amount of help that I get is that Bill will put the leftover food away (most of the time), and Tim will empty the dishwasher (some of the time). Needless to say, I get a bit grumpy about this occasionally, and feel that I am doing most of the work.

However, as I have discovered in the past, being grumpy doesn't change anything. The rest of the family puts up with my grumpiness and apologizes for their slothfullness (with sheepish grins), but nothing changes. I have tried going on strike, but it doesn't work. The dishes just pile up to such mammoth heights that it takes 3-4 loads to get them washed. Every bit of edible food that doesn't actually need fixing is devoured. People can live a long time off of peanut-butter sandwiches, potato chips and cereal. Not to mention ice cream!

So, when I find myself being ill-used and put upon, I now turn to the Savior as an example. After all, what did he preach? Service to others. Therefore when I 'serve' my family, I am also serving the Lord. This puts things in a different light, and makes life much more tolerable for me. Not that I can always cling to this rosy view of things. When I have put in several hours of overtime, and am really tired, it is hard not to feel upset when I view the stacks of unwashed (and not even rinsed) dishes. But most of the time it helps me to feel more cheerful about my role as a 'mother hen'.

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I have been thinking about this as well. Now that I have four kids I can't stay on top of the housework. I have enlisted their help, but I still find myself frustrated and cranky more often than I would like. Then the other day, I was sitting in church and the sacrament hymn was #191 Behold the Great Redeemer Die. The third verse says:

Although in agony he hung,
no murm'ring word escaped his tongue.
His high commission to fulfill,
His high commission to fulfill,
He magnified his Father's will.

If he can do those things, I can try to bear my much lighter burdens without complaining. And after all, I am trying to fulfill my commission to be a mother. That is the best way I can magnify the Father's will.