Things I Have Learned as a Parent So Far

My baby boy will be two in less than two months.  How time flies.  Yes, I realize most of my friends my age are taking their kids off to college, or at least high school, but still. . .

One advantage of being an older parent is that you realize how quickly time passes.  And you savor every moment you have.  This is one of the things I have learned in his nearly two years.  I am SO thankful that I get to be a stay-at-home mom.  Yes, we are giving up some luxuries, but they are luxuries we can have later.  And later, my son will be grown.  His childhood will be gone.  I might have missed his first smile or first steps, and I would have missed our mornings in the chair, when he first wakes up, reading him a Bible story while he drinks his juice.  After we read, we just cuddle for a while.  I kiss his sweet, soft cheeks.  He may get up and walk around a bit and get one of his stuffed animals to hold or another book to read.  And then we cuddle some more.  This is a luxury that I won’t have later.  A most precious one.

Every day is a gift.  We can’t take it for granted.  We are not guaranteed another day.  In Cooper’s short life, we once nearly lost him to meningitis.  I lost our second child to miscarriage.  I have seen others suffer even greater losses.  Even in the best of circumstances, our children are growing up every day.  Cooper will never be an infant again, and his toddler years are going fast.  And there is nothing we can do about these things.  But the one thing we CAN do is to enjoy each day we have.  We can love our children and thank God for the moment.

Another thing I have learned is the difference between tuning in and tuning out.  Tuning out is being glued to Facebook hour after hour while your child watches TV or misbehaves in an effort to get your attention.  Tuning in is talking to him, reading a book together and taking the time to name the objects he points to on the page, playing play dough with him or teaching him to work puzzles.  It is hearing what he is saying and responding with something more than an “uh-huh.”  No, I don’t do it perfectly all the time.  And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with having some “me” time, but while my child is young, I will do myself and him a favor if I am tuned in to him the majority of the time.

I have learned that my child will not dislike me because I discipline him.  It is much easier in the long run to teach him not to do things than to have to deal with the same behavior over and over.  A little pop on the bottom goes a long way.  Sometimes other forms of discipline are more effective: time out, taking away a privilege, or just letting things have their own consequences (a cup thrown on the floor while he’s in his high chair stays there).  We are both happier if he learns what I will and won’t put up with, and if I hold him to that standard. 

Pray for your children.  Don and I pray for Cooper every morning: for God’s protection on him, for wisdom to be his parents, for his salvation, for the wife we hope he will someday have.  This is something I plan to keep doing every day for the rest of my life.

I’m sure I have much more to learn.  I know the years ahead will present new challenges.  Parenting is definitely on-the-job training.  But I will prayerfully continue doing the best I can.  And I will make the most of every day I have with him.  Even the hard ones.  Because they are all a blessing.