Parenting Transparency

Being a parent is hard, hard work. Raising kids that are good people, honest, loyal, faithful and God-fearing is like the most insane job ever. The responsibility to raise a baby human into a grown up is just mind boggling to me somedays. I say this knowing we are in the easy years, we have so many hard pre-teen, teenage, and young adult things that will come up that it makes my stomach hurt.

Before we were parents people would say, "oh, you just wait, it's the hardest but most rewarding thing you will ever do" or "you have no idea". Those things are so true. There is no preparation for parenthood.

You can't plan your child's personality, how they will react to things, whether or not they will be leaders or followers, strong willed or not, you can't prepare for the friends they will have, the choices they will make, the school they will want to attend or the career they will want to have. All we can do as parents is set a foundation, be a good example and guide the way.  In our home, we are trying so hard to make that foundation one made of love, peace, respect, honor, grace and forgiveness. We are constantly reminding ourselves to remember patience, kindness and show each other the love of Jesus.

We have been abundantly blessed with a healthy, thriving, smart, funny, stubborn, strong-willed, leader of a child. Our lives are more happy and more full than we ever knew possible. Our challenge with him is that he is full throttle, all the time. I pray every single day that we are doing the right and best things for him. I pray for consistency, for grace, for patience, for forgiveness, for wisdom and for all the love that he needs from me. I beg God to show me what to do many days. I feel so ill-equipped  to carry the responsibility of raising Major. When I think about that though, I think about our story, I think about how God is the ultimate match maker and I think about how Major was MADE for us. That overwhelming feeling fades a little and I am back to praying for the tools I need to turn all the challenges into things that will mold him and make him into the best version he can be.

Our current challenges are keeping our hands to ourself, not hitting friends, not being bossy....4 year old preschool boy stuff. When he's 16 and leaving the house in his car, I'm gonna wish more than anything that I could go back to happy face and frown face reports. I know this. Still, seeing him try and not succeed or forget or just be "major" is hard on a mamas heart. Being consistent in discipline and watching him miss out on things is super hard. I know its all for the good, but its still hard.

Tomorrow is a fresh new day with fresh new challenges. It's just up to us how we respond to and move forward from those things. Here's to tomorrow little dude. Let's make it fun!