Monday, February 7, 2011

The Gift of Parenthood

To be honest, I was not sure I wanted to be a mother.  I always hoped to marry some day.  I thought perhaps I would have children, but there were several points in my life where I thought maybe I didn’t want them.  By the time I met my husband, I thought I probably wanted one or two, but even when we were trying for our first, I thought I’d be okay if we didn’t wind up being able to have children.  Of course, now that I have them, I could not imagine life without them.  Funny how that works!

Being a parent has taught me an entirely new way that love manifests itself.  As a child, I always knew my parents loved me a lot.  Even so, I was SO unprepared for how much love I could feel for one little being!  The first time I held each of my children, I was overwhelmed by the love I felt.  Even when they are driving me nuts, I’m astounded by how much I love them.  There are no words to describe how I feel about my children, but all those stories you hear about parents who say they’d jump in front of a train to save their child are NOT exaggerations. 

The best thing about parenting is watching these little creatures who are entirely dependent on you grow and mature and learn to be independent.  Every time my little girl learns something new or every time my baby boy accomplishes a new physical feat, I’m so proud and so amazed at how fast they grow. 

Watching those young personalities develop is truly amazing.  Children see the world through fresh eyes and show us how to appreciate the things we’ve come to take for granted.  Their discoveries become my discoveries.

And you know the saying “kids say the darnedest things”?  Well, it’s so true, there isn’t a week that goes by that there isn’t something my daughter says that just makes me giggle!  I wouldn’t have missed this for the world!

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