Home Teachers

In the LDS (Latter-Day Saint, Mormon) church we have a program called "home teaching". Basically two men in our congregation are assigned to look out for two or three households in our ward boundaries. They try to visit every month and give a brief spiritual message, find out how the household is doing and help with temporal and spiritual needs. The family politely listens to the the message, responds to questions and enjoys the spirit brought by this nice visit each month.

And then you have the Peterson home.

In our home the home teachers visit on a nice Sunday afternoon and leave worn out and probably exhausted, excited to escape to the peace and quiet of their own homes, a safe distance from our monkeys.

No lest you think I exaggerate... my two little one's LITERALLY climb all over our home teachers.

At one point in my life I actually thought I was a good mother. 

Then four happened.

So while our dear home teachers sit patiently and try to give us a spiritual lesson, Claire stacks the pillows from the couch four or five high and tries to sit on them. The minute she sits on top, one slides and she gets off to re-adjust. The whole while I am trying to say "Stop Claire!" "Sit still Claire!" "Listen Claire!" "Don't do that Claire!" 

Stella thinks she is a clown and goofs off and acts silly. She runs around climbs on laps and swings on necks. She runs off and bumps into things and somehow thinks her attitude of owner and CEO of the Peterson home is cute. The whole time I'm saying "No Stella." "Sit down Stella!" "Come back here Stella!" "Don't do that Stella!"

Sound familiar.

You would think they have never been out of their cages? 

As the worn but extremely kind and patient home teachers leave...I am sure that they wonder at the same thing I do...

Why do I ever let them out of their cages!!!