Occasionally, when I sit with my youngest daughter and assist with homework my mind begins to race. I think about her future and all the possibilities. I fast forward to her finishing elementary school, going to high school and then heading off to college. My oldest daughter is only a few short years away from graduating high school and leaving home. And simply put, it freaks me out. Although scary at times, the whole process has been amazing””from the pregnancy experience through the toddler years right up to where they are now. It just blows my mind. First, I am grateful to God for allowing me to be a parent and also for providing me with the tools and support I need to be successful in this massive role.
I will not take this life-long mission for granted. Sometimes the huge responsibility that comes along with parenthood is unbelievable. As parents we are responsible for shaping and molding the futures of these little people. Every decision we make right now will either result in our children thanking us or their using it to blame us for how they turned out. In the power of our tongues we can speak life to them or eat away at their confidence. We can use each precious moment to encourage and teach them. We can also show them what a healthy parent/child relationship feels like by our actions.
Parenting doesn’t come with a manual. This is exactly why it is so frightening. It makes us constantly wonder if we are doing this right. We learn as we go, use what we were taught and listen to our elders. In the end those parenting choices fall on our shoulders. We are responsible for how our children show up in the world. The level of respect they give to others and themselves, how they clean their homes and build relationships will all be values gained from our words and our actions. Huge, right?
Even how we choose to discipline causes an occasional anxiety. When we have to practice tough love in order for our children to receive the lesson we are teaching. We have to tell them no, when our hearts want to say yes. Everything we do is for their good.
Yes, parenting is scary. It freaks me out to think two people have that much responsibility over other little people. While I do have those days when I may ask “God, are you sure about me for this job,” I know that I was chosen for this role for a purpose. I recognize that I have already been blessed with everything I need. I am further convinced as I watch the young ladies my daughters are becoming that this role was made just for me.
BMWK, does your role as a parent ever scare you?