Parenting Lessons Learned – 31 Days

Today, October 1, 2014, begins a 31-Day Blogging Challenge for me and bloggers everywhere. For me, that means 31 days of sharing things I have learned (and am still learning) on the sometimes bumpy path of parenting two children.

Scroll Down to read Day 1.

Click to read the other days, I’ll be adding a link to each day once it goes live.

Day 2: Parenting and Prayer – They Go Together

Day 3: Put It Down

Day 4: CELEBRATE

Day 5: Mom’s Words of Wisdom: Parenting Your Adult Children

Day 6: Being the Bad Guy

Day 7: What We Do is What We Teach

Day 8: Someone to Call Daddy

Day 9: I Suck: Epic Fails in Parenting

Day 10: Kids, Food, and Fitness

Day 11: The Best Gift

Day 12: Faith and Family

Day 13: Money Matters

Day 14: Serving with Kids

Day 15: Things I Love About Being A Mom

Day 16: In Common

Day 17: Beautiful

Day 18: Always Open

Day 19: Dreaming About the Future

Day 20: Born to Fly

Day 21: Spare the Rod

Day 22: Giving Grace

Day 23: The Best Advice

Day 24: It Takes A Village

Day 25: Pass It On

Day 26: Take Them By the Hand

Day 27: Sweet Dreams

Day 28: Encourage Independence

Day 29: The Birds and The Bees

Day 30: Inspiration

Day 31: Forever

So, let’s begin at the beginning. How did I get here?

From a young age I wanted nothing more than to be a wife and a mother, so once I became a wife, it was only natural that the next step would be mother.

Easier said than done.

When Mike and I decided it was time to start a family, my body wasn’t convinced.

After a couple of years full of tests, pills and tears, we decided maybe it wasn’t meant to be, so we quit trying. (Read: I got fed up with the up and down of every month and being angry with God, so I decided I was done.)

Lo, and behold, in just a matter of weeks we discovered I was pregnant, and in January 2001, we welcomed sweet Anne into our lives.

And we were content with that. We weren’t going to go through the heartache of trying to have another child and God had blessed us with this one, so we were good.

God sure has a funny way of making us see just how much we are NOT in control of our lives, doesn’t he?

In January 2003, we once again found that I was expecting. It was not quite the same joyful experience this time. I had to come to terms with now having a second child that I hadn’t anticipated. And this pregnancy was way different and more difficult.

But come October 2003, Ty, the 10 pound 1 ounce, 23-1/2 inch long infant-in-a-toddler-sized-body, joined our family. And life has never been the same. In an amazingly good way.

Parenting these two has been eye-opening to say the least. I remember watching parents (before I was one) and making judgment calls about how they should or shouldn’t be handling certain situations. I remember having these ideals about how I would parent. I now know that ideals are good, but reality sometimes plays out differently, and you have to be willing to adjust on the fly.

Throughout the last 13+ years, I have learned many things about parenting, about myself, about my children, and about my God and the ways he uses these children to teach me, almost as much as he uses me to teach these children. The influence of God, my parents, and my friends, has played into the way I approach parenting. There are books I have read and resources I have used to learn more. And there is always the trial and error of the day-in and day-out challenges that teach me that no two children are the same and they require me to adjust how I relate to them.

Over the next 30 days, I am going to share some of my joys, struggles, hopes and fears with you. I will share lessons I have learned the easy way, and the hard way. I will talk about the role prayer plays in parenting, as well as the importance of being who you are and playing to those strengths. I don’t have all the answers (not even close), and I want to hear from you, as well.

Will you join me on the journey?

You can check out other 31-Days Bloggers here.