Wish I’d thought of this when our children were young enough to believe it!
Actually when we were expecting our first, I didn’t really worry about whether I could be a good Mom or not. I just wanted a baby! That mothering urge and nesting instinct had kicked in after being married a while, and Grizz was in agreement, so we forged ahead.
Did we know our children would need teaching and disciplining and examples and morals? Well, yes, but we just wanted a baby!
Did we know our teenagers would challenge our authority and test all the limits? Well, yes, but we just wanted a baby!
Did we know our young adult children would still want some guidance and advice? Well, yes, but we just wanted a baby!
We knew these things on some level, partly because of our education, partly because we’re both the oldest and our siblings were enough younger that we’d seen some of what our parents did in raising them – aside from what we’d observed as they ‘practiced’ on us LOL! But these things certainly weren’t uppermost in my mind when we started on the path of producing that first child. Grizz admits to being somewhat fearful, until he held that little one in his arms the first time and fully realized he didn’t have to teach and discipline and set an example right from minute one, that these things would come over time.
Now, our DD and DSIL are expecting their first, and we’ve chatted with them, and with our sons and their wives as well, about some of the guiding principles that we established over time as we grew into parenthood. And that’s just what we did – we grew into it. We weren’t perfect, probably wouldn’t have passed a parenting test if there’d been such even after a few years of raising children, we just did what we thought was best at the time. As we’ve watched our children become adults and strike out into the world, get married and now starting their families, we have every confidence in them as parents, that they’ll love their children and do their best. And what else is important?
Happy parenting! Blessings, Peg
