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A PARENT'S
LIFE
When
you first have children they talk about the
challenges of parenting... the struggles of a
baby waking in the night, the toddler who won’t
stay in their bed, the cost of childcare, injuries
from sports...
Having
to take off work to pick them up from school when
they don’t feel well, helping them with
homework, a messy house, the never ending laundry,
the cost to buy school clothes, packing their
lunches...
You
watch their eyes light up on Christmas morning...
and try to soak in the magic of those moments.
You
coach them in sports, rushing to practices and
ballgames... and tote them all over the area to
let them play the game they love... no matter how
exhausting or expensive it becomes.
Life
is just so busy that you rarely even stop to think
what the end of those days look like. In
fact, it’s not really even something you can
wrap your mind around.
You
go into it thinking that 18-20 years sounds like a
long time...
Then
suddenly hours turn into days... days into
months... and months into years.
That
little person that used to crawl up next to you in
bed and cuddle up to watch cartoons suddenly
becomes this young adult who hugs you in the
hallway as they come and go. And
the chaos and laughter that used to echo
throughout your home... gets filled with silence
and solitude.
You’ve
learned how to parent a child who needs you to
care for and protect them... but have no clue how
the whole “letting go” thing is supposed to
work.
So
you hold on as tight as you can... wondering how
time passed so quickly... feeling guilty that you
missed something... Because
even though you had 20 years... it just somehow
doesn’t seem like it was enough.
You
ask yourself so many questions...
.
Did
you teach them the right lessons?
Did you read them enough books as a child?
Spend enough time playing with them?
How many school parties did you have to miss?
Do they really know how much you love them?
What could I have done better as a parent?
.
When
it’s time for them to go, it all hits you like a
ton of bricks.
And
all you can do is pray... hope... and trust that
God will protect them as they start to make their
way into the world alone.
Parenting
is by far the most amazing experience of your
life... that at times leaves you exhilarated...
while others leave you heartbroken.
But
one thing is certain... it’s never enough
time...?
So
for all the parents with young children... whose
days are spent trying to figure out how to make it
through the madness...
Exhausted
day in and day out...
SOAK.
IT. ALL. IN...
Because
one day... all those crazy days full of cartoons,
snuggles, sleepovers, Christmas morning magic,
ballgames, practices and late night dinners... All
come to an end.
And
you’re left hoping that you did enough right, so
that when they spread their wings...
And
they’ll fly!
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