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EMBRACING FAMILY
Parenting is not for wimps. Sleep-deprivation. Long hours in the office. Long hours at home. Diapers, diapers and more diapers. Coughs and runny noses. Trips to the urgent care.
Our small children cry and want hugs because they want us with them. Later they cry because they don’t want us there and don’t want to be touched. Countless parenting hours are spent with no paycheck as compensation.
Parenting can be an emotional roller coaster, one for which none of us saw the sign of “do’s and don’ts” before getting on the ride. We had more training to get our driver’s permit than we did to become parents! Even driver’s ed students get a manual to study.
While parenting is not for wimps, it is the most important job we will ever have! Even though there are many challenges that we face, the blessings far outweigh the burdens. Our homes become our kids’ training ground for life. In our homes, they learn they are loved, valued and make a difference.
It is in our home that they learn to cultivate their gifts and talents and start to discern what path God may be calling them to follow. They learn that we will always love them, no matter what mistakes are made. They learn forgiveness. They learn to always get back up and try again. They learn how to be a team player within their own family where everybody lends a hand and supports each other. They learn to laugh, to love, to share, to forgive, to make friends, to work together and to reach out to others in need. They learn that their faith and their family are what really matter most in life.
We need to learn to place healthy boundaries, establish clear expectations, hold them responsible for their choices and not rescue them, love them and believe that they can be respectful, responsible problem-solvers. In doing so, we are giving them wings to fly wherever God leads them, and we greatly increase the odds that they will be courteous members of the community and the church.
The hard work that we put into parenting day-in and day-out is not only a gift that we give our marriages and our children, but it’s a gift that will keep on giving, as there will be a ripple effect, where we and our children will impact the lives of others around us. The love with which we parent will be the gift that keeps on giving — for generations to come. Truly parenting is not for wimps. It’s for champions and heroes. It’s for you and for us. It’s the hardest but most rewarding job we will ever have.
St. Teresa of Calcutta said, “If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.”
Here is some feedback from a Catholic reader in response to the Q&A from “Lent Is supposed to be life-changing, not 40-days of changing!”
“I must be honest. At first, I was a little disconcerted when I read the article because I was desperately looking forward to the end of Lent where I could finally splurge and enjoy the things I gave up. Sacrificing for 40 days is like running a marathon where those last miles basically are excruciating and seemingly last forever. Then I started thinking about how silly it would be if I really put my focus on sweets rather than on the spirit of sacrifice and gratitude as the reason that I gave up the treats in the first place. I made my Lenten sacrifices to help me appreciate what Christ did for me. Now that Lent is over, I still need to make sure that every day I am expressing my gratitude to Jesus. Reading the article challenged me to ask myself: What am I willing to do for the people I love?”
Questions? Please email Sarah and David at Success@EmbraceFamilyLearning.com. We would be honored to lift you up in prayer and respond, as well!
