“Point your kids in the right direction— when they’re old they won’t be lost.” –
Proverbs 22:6, The Message
I have swirling thoughts this morning. You see, it’s another first for me today – all 3 of my kids are in school – at the same time! My oldest son started Middle School last week, my middle daughter started 3rd grade, and my youngest started Kindergarten! WHAT??!!! I remember when they all were very young and it seemed like this day would never come – I though I would always be changing dirty diapers or picking up a long trail of Cherrios in the house – but today, they are off to school and I find myself sitting here with my worship music cranked really loud and pondering all that has happened over this last year.
I’ve taken a lot of time off from my blog to fully focus on my family and especially my kiddos. When they were younger I remember feeling like I was smothered – by them. You know the feeling, always needing to play referee, or sternly asking the older kids to be quiet since the youngest was sleeping, or tripping over little Hot Wheels cars when you try to walk down the stairs. The years of diapers, spit up, goldfish all over your car, car seats, strollers loaded to the brim with picnic lunches and scooters, scraped knees and Band-Aids, a trail of sand in the kitchen, back screen doors constantly open, and Nerf Darts constantly bombarding you when you are making dinner! While I love them dearly I would often find myself needing a break and praying for time-off when the Grandparents might offer to keep them for a few hours. I felt like I needed those little breaks just to make it through that season in my life.
Then a funny thing happened, something in my mind switched. I found myself missing them when they would go off to play with their friends, or when they would go out to the field behind our house to play catch – without me. They were growing up before my eyes and learning how to play with each other and work out their problems on their own – without mom having to intervene. They had reached the point that I had dreamed they would get to someday – they were officially able to entertain themselves! Although they can play with each other for hours on end, I still miss them and realize that their time with me is short. Now, I want to spend as much time with them as possible and, I want to make the most of that time and prepare them to fly!
I think it all changed in my head when my oldest son turned 11. I started to realize that he only has about 7 more years in our house – 7 years?!!!! WHAT?!!! So much in his life will change in those 7 years that it scares me, but it also makes me realize just how important my job as a parent really is over the next 7 years. Talk about growing up – he will start middle school, ride the bus, youth group, go through puberty, school dances, get his drivers license, a job, go to high school, graduate and then off to college – all in the next 7 years!!! That is a lot of life change in a few years and I don’t want to miss out on any of it!
I realized that my job as his day-to-day mom is quickly coming to end as he will now be making a lot of his own decisions. It’s time for him to start thinking about his core values, and beliefs and making them his own. Oh my goodness does that scare me! It’s also exciting at the same time. I pray for him and his siblings every day, that God will lead and guide them and that they will have a heart of compassion and brokenness for other people. I pray that God will help them to be confident in who they are as God’s precious child, and that they will be bold to share their faith and stand up for what is right.
I told you that I was pondering a lot, didn’t I?! Moms out there, your job as a mom is so important! Be there for your kids, but also let them go! Help them fly and when they fall, pick them up, hug them, give them a Band-Aid and teach them another way to fly!
Train a child how to live the right way. Then even when he is old, he will still live that way. –Proverbs 22:6 (ICB)
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