I was so excited to take my first teaching job! I had been hired by a Christian school to teach 18 third graders. Fresh out of college, I thought teaching those energetic and needy children how to multiply and divide had to be the hardest job on earth. I was wrong—parenting was. It was then I had to give up my right to sleep when I needed it, to eat a meal without interruption, to relax when I wanted to and most importantly, my right to withdraw when I felt overwhelmed. It took becoming a parent to understand what life is really about. It took becoming a parent to fully appreciate all that my own parents had done for me. I discovered it was at home when no one else was watching that I was called upon to demonstrate love in the ordinary day to day events of life….lost toys, wet diapers, spilled milk and no words of appreciation for my services.
There is definitely a price to pay when you become a parent. But our children become our own investment in the future. They will bear the imprint of our parenting throughout their lives. As parents, we teach them all the values we believe should be passed on to the next generation. We are life’s mirror to our kids, reflecting warmth and love and friendship. We help develop their sense of self worth, helping them feel loved and wanted and appreciated. We have the awesome privilege of creating an environment for their discovery, growth and imagination.
In my years of raising kids, I learned that as you give your heart, your time and your energy to your children, you are investing in something greater than yourself. A big investment, but it pays big dividends. Parenting is costly. But anything of worth usually is.
How are you investing in your family?
