Sunday, July 26, 2015

Raising kids - a lesson in constant change

Why is it, when raising children, that just when you think you've got a handle on things, they go and change, and you have to figure out, all over again, how to deal with the new status quo?

I would have thought, as the kids grew up, that things would get easier. In some respects, they have. They can now dress themselves, bath themselves, feed themselves, entertain themselves. They can do laundry and unstack the dishwasher. They can answer the phone and know how to change channels on the TV. They can rides bikes, walk the dogs around our street. One can read and write, the other is on the cusp. There is so much they can now do on their own.

But in important ways, they need us more now. They need us to help them navigate the much more tricky roads of love, generosity of heart, kindness, consideration of others, speaking truth in love only (even then, sometimes not because it is unnecessary), friendships. They need us to mentor them in time management and developing self-discipline. They need us to encourage them through disappointment and failure. They need us to protect their dreams and hopes from the destructive element of reality in a fallen world.

And that is so much harder, because I have to do what is right for them, not what makes me comfortable; say what is right for them, not what I would want to hear in that situation.

I've said it before - being a parent is not for sissies!


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