Long-haired Mama

Tonight I was reading to my kids from The Child's Story Bible. Isaac, my oldest, picked the story of Jeroboam and Ahijah (pages 172-173). In the story, the wicked king Jeroboam has encouraged the Israelites to make and worship idols, something that is disgraceful in Israel and specifically prohibited by the 2nd commandment. Jeroboam's youngest son becomes quite ill, and Jeroboam sends his wife to the prophet Ahijah to inquire if the child will live. Informed by the Lord that she is coming, Ahijah tells the woman that when she goes back to her city, the child will die. He goes on to tell her that all of her other sons will die a violent death due to their father's wickedness. By the end of the story, Jeroboam has died, his son Nadab takes the throne, and Baasha later leads a coup by murdering Nadab and the rest of Jeroboam's family. So, the prophet's words come to pass.

When we finished reading the story, I recapped with Isaac and Anna and then asked Isaac, "What kind of daddy do you want me to be?"

He wisely replied, "One that loves God and doesn't worship idols."

I then asked him, "When you grow up, what kind of daddy do you want to be?"

He said, "A good one that worships God and not idols."

So I thought I would try the question on Anna. "Anna, when you grow up, what kind of mama do you want to be?"

Anna carefully chose her words, "When I grow up, I want to be a long-haired mama."


[Recommended reading: The Child's Story Bible]