8/06/2009

My Passion

I have been thinking alot lately about the 3 gifts that God has given me in Allison, Rachel and Tyler. Growing up I always knew I wanted to be a mom, but I didn't really have a clue what that meant. Of course I thought it would probably be all fun and games. Umm, if that were the case wouldn't we all have at least 5 or 6 kids? Once I became a mom I realized a few things. One, it wasn't all fun and games. Two, I never really knew love until that baby was put in my arms for the first time. Three, you will spend massive amounts of time trying to figure out how to be a better mom. And last but not least I realized raising kids is my passion.

What do you mean by that some people may ask? Other people might think well of course, any good mom would say that. For me parenting is something I take very seriously and to be honest it ticks me off when other other parents don't take it seriously. There is nothing that gets my blood boiling more than hearing about a child who has parents who just don't care. That is a soapbox I could on and on about, but will save that for another post :)

When I look at my kids I know there is no other job that is more important than being a parent. What does that mean for me? It means putting my relationship with God and Daryl before them. Daryl and I have regular date nights and do the kids complain about that sometimes? Yep! Our kids know and understand that mommy and daddy were together before they were born and we will be here when they leave the house, so in order for us to be better parents we spend time alone without them. It means the job I have to pay the bills, is just that, a J-O-B. I have made a commitment to myself and to my kids that my job will never come in the way of me being a mom first and foremost. The minute that happens is the same minute I will no longer have a job outside of the home. I have pretty strong opinions about this, but again we will save that for later. It means that I show my kids through my words and actions what "real" love looks like. One of the mantra's in our house is that no matter what you do our love for you will never change, but there are consequences for the choices you make. We have rules and guidelines that they are expected to follow. Some of them are for safety reasons and some of them are to build their character. I will discuss the reasons for these with them, but the rules themselves are not up for discussion. It also means that I am constantly looking to improve my parenting skills. I am not happy to stay where I am at as a mom. Some of the ways I do this is by surrounding myself with parents who have gone before me and parents who are in same stage as I am. There is something to be said for watching other people parent. I also read, watch and listen to things that will help me hone my skills as a parent. It means that I am constantly re-evaluating my parenting skills. I ask other people what I need to improve on. There are things other people can see from the outside that I can see from where I stand. All of these things take alot of time and attention, but my kids lives and well being are at stake.

I truly believe that someday I will stand before God and He will ask me what I did with the children He gave me. I know that God has placed this passion inside of me for a reason and it starts with my own kids for now.