You want to know the best thing about not being friends with your kids while you are raising them? You get to be friends with them when they are grown! My boys came home from college on Sunday night. We knew that our empty nest would be turned upside down with their arrival and it was! They brought home carloads of dorm items, job schedules, and girlfriends stopping by ( honestly I’m happy about that one!) HUGE appetites and lots of laughter!
I’m thankful that I have such a strong friendship with my Mom. While my parents were raising me they were not my friends. My sisters and I pushed back about rules. We were annoyed at their strictness. We were frustrated about not having the “cool parents” with no rules. Don’t get me wrong, they were plenty of fun…but they had rules. And guidelines and expectations.
As I grew older and wiser, I realized these guidelines were all blessings. They were a safety net. A way to help me grow and mature. But I don’t think I realized all of this until I became a mom. My Son is a lot quicker than me. While still in High School, he actually THANKED me for the rules, guidelines, and boundaries I had set up for them. To all of the parents that are in the thick of it, please do not be worn down by your kids, the world, or satan. I pray that you are encouraged and renewed by other parents, and God’s word. What you are doing is important…you are molding your future friends! Do a good job! Proverbs 22:6, “ Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”
As we are coming up on Mother’s Day, Say thank you to a mom for doing the work…even when it was hard…because it really is a hard job!