I don’t know about you, but I often wonder if I am getting any of this parenting thing right.
I mean, how many times do I need to say to my children, “when you get up, start on your chores for the day, and do not turn on the TV,” before they actually hear me and do it?
How many times to I need to show them what I mean by “clean” before they get it?
Is it really that hard to remember to brush your hair? Take a shower? Put your shoes in the same place so you can find them the next time you want to wear them?
I am doing the best I know to do to teach them responsibility, how to care for one another and others, how to love Jesus, how to be obedient, and all that other stuff we try so hard to teach our kids. But we don’t always see that coming to fruition in the day-to-day of life.
So, when we get those glimpses that they are getting it, it makes me want to jump up and down in celebration.
One of those moments happened for me about a week ago.
We were planning a family trip to a water park. We had been blessed with free admission for four, but when Mike ended up having to work, we had an extra spot. We tried a couple of friends, but they weren’t available, so we had decided it would just be the three of us and it would be a great day. That’s when my daughter called me up and suggested we take a friend of mine’s daughter. She is younger than both of my kids, but her mom has been struggling with some health issues and this little girl has had to hang out at home, with mom not feeling great, quite a bit this summer.
Needless to say, my heart just swelled with pride that Anne had thought to include this little girl in our day.
But that was nothing compared to watching the three kids play at the water park together. They had so much fun! They got along. They made choices of what to do together so no one got left out. It was beautiful.
And in those moments, I realized that with God’s grace and help, I must be doing something right, because my kids are getting the stuff that is really important: loving God through loving others.
I would love to hear how your kids are “getting it.” Share a story in the comments.