Parenting is not an easy gig. In fact, it is pretty hard. The sleep deprivation that results from midnight feedings and colic is hard. Chasing a mischievous toddler from sunrise to sunset is hard. Convincing a school aged child that homework is necessary is hard. Getting a recalcitrant preteen to talk is hard. Seeing past the surliness of a teen to figure out what is really at the heart of the attitude is hard. No matter what age your children, parenting has its challenges.
For me, today’s hard is a different kind of hard. It is the hard where you manage to survive all the other hard bits of parenting and realize that you did a pretty decent job. Your children turned out to be good, dependable, basically positive human beings with some good life skills, a work ethic and a level head on top of that. And now that you have helped shape those little bits of godliness into beings whom you really enjoy, they move out and embark on their own life journey. And it’s hard.
Both Daniel and Nathan moved up to USU this morning. Daniel has been coming and going for two years so having him pop in and out of our home has become normal but having Nathan leave was a bit of a blow. Of all my kids, he is probably the one who communicates with me the most. He texts and calls all the time, and he has a tendency to “verbal vomit” about everything once he gets home. And FYI, I really like it. I like that my teenager talks to me. I like that he trusts his parents enough to share his innermost thoughts. I like that he trusts and values our opinions. And I like that we have all been able to work together to help him prepare for the next steps in his life.
We have all felt like having a semester of college before a mission would be a good thing for Nathan. It will allow him to have a small separation from home and family when he can come home and call whenever he needs to before the more rigid separation that comes with a mission. But what I didn’t realize until today is that I think I need the baby step in separation as well. Quitting Nathan cold turkey would be much harder. So today is definitely a hard parenting day. But hard in a good way, if that makes sense. It’s a hard that comes because I have a child who is doing exactly what he should be doing, exactly what we have raised him to do. And he is so excited about it.
I have a feeling the house is going to feel strangely quiet for a while.
For me, today’s hard is a different kind of hard. It is the hard where you manage to survive all the other hard bits of parenting and realize that you did a pretty decent job. Your children turned out to be good, dependable, basically positive human beings with some good life skills, a work ethic and a level head on top of that. And now that you have helped shape those little bits of godliness into beings whom you really enjoy, they move out and embark on their own life journey. And it’s hard.
Both Daniel and Nathan moved up to USU this morning. Daniel has been coming and going for two years so having him pop in and out of our home has become normal but having Nathan leave was a bit of a blow. Of all my kids, he is probably the one who communicates with me the most. He texts and calls all the time, and he has a tendency to “verbal vomit” about everything once he gets home. And FYI, I really like it. I like that my teenager talks to me. I like that he trusts his parents enough to share his innermost thoughts. I like that he trusts and values our opinions. And I like that we have all been able to work together to help him prepare for the next steps in his life.
We have all felt like having a semester of college before a mission would be a good thing for Nathan. It will allow him to have a small separation from home and family when he can come home and call whenever he needs to before the more rigid separation that comes with a mission. But what I didn’t realize until today is that I think I need the baby step in separation as well. Quitting Nathan cold turkey would be much harder. So today is definitely a hard parenting day. But hard in a good way, if that makes sense. It’s a hard that comes because I have a child who is doing exactly what he should be doing, exactly what we have raised him to do. And he is so excited about it.
I have a feeling the house is going to feel strangely quiet for a while.
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