Being a parent is the biggest gift we are given. Someone once told me that you can never prepare enough and you can never wait enough but rather - you just "make" it the right time when it happens.
There's this whole great part of parenting and the many stages you get to experience. First you get all the cozy blankets and matching little clothes with the soft shoes - picking out the carseat and EVERY matching thing to it! How exciting....
Then you get to watch your child grow up and we get to see things through their eyes. Such a beautiful thing. I feel like I am the one being taught rather than the one teaching. I've never been a person with patience but I have learned how to be. There is no greater joy you can have in this lifetime.
But what happens when your child/children get to the age where you can't always protect them and be there for their every move? How devestating to NOT be there at school when the third tooth comes out but how proud when you see them learning to write, create, and socialize. That's all great until the really hard challenges come.
What if you have a child with a mental disease or is physically or socially challenged? As a parent I can say from experience it is the most heartbreaking thing to have to watch. There is absolutely nothing you can do - no way to control the situation (unless you want to rip your child out of the environment that, sadly, they need), and the only thing we can do at the end of the day is love our children and tell them over and over that it will be ok and that not everyone is unkind. I have spent so much time just holding my child and loving them and making sure they always know it - no matter the circumstances. Unconditional love.
My experience as a parent has been absolutely extraordinary and so heartwrenching all in one rotation. Much to my surpise I find that adulthood doesn't mean we are all grown up. Life has taught me some really cruel lessons, I haven't always made the best choices, and people are still unkind.
In parenthood, we must lead by example. As our children are growing up they watch every move we make, how we handle our relationships, our tone of voice, our facial gestures and body language. It is impossible to be perfect but we have to give everything and more.
The challenges of parenthood never leave you just because your kids are growing up and experiencing life for themselves. I'm not even at that stage but I dread it! So much is just easier said than done and that's the bottome line.
The simple message here is to just be the best person & parent you know how to be and push yourself to be so much more. This basic principle is a huge payoff not only for the child but for us parents who think we have it all figured out.
We can't know what is in store for us and children do not come with a "how to" guide so there is no way to be prepared for the ever changing circumstances. Just enjoy your children and love them....and never stop.
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