I recently went through a mid-life crisis…ok, overly stated; I had a moment.
It struck me, with the blind-side suddenness of a car wreck, that our daughter is nine years old, that's mid-way to 18. Theoretically, her time in our home is half way over. Ever had one of those cinematic moments where the world keeps moving but your world slows and focuses? Yeah, it was one of those moments.
So, true to a Full of Days discipline (“Imagining the future helps us live in the present”) my thoughts rolled into the future, her future, and then slowly walked back to the present; what am I doing today that will impact her future?
(Closest I have come to understanding the multi-emotional capabilities of a woman; I simultaneously experienced sadness and joy. Sadness from thoughts of my baby growing up and leaving flowed in the same current with joy from thoughts of my baby growing into her own woman - how do you ladies handle this...gift?).
One of the fruits from this "moment" was the recent 1st Generation Dad post “Letter To My Future Son-In Law” – a letter not about a boy in the future but a letter about raising my daughter in the present…by loving my wife.
As parents we are learning on the job, especially with our first born. Yes, we learn and apply those lessons to younger siblings but never do we get to revisit certain parental mistakes and the initial impressions they leave. So there is forever mental sparring, with doubt; asking “as parents, are we getting it right”.
…so glimpses into the future, like this article, written by one of my former students as she faces a post-graduate decision, are loved.
Lauren’s article, a confession about the success of her parent’s “diabolical” plans, reassures us younger stage parents. So it does work. Teach our kids, instill in them, give them room to grow and learn on their own, and what do you know? They actually are paying attention! Thank you Mike & Pam for the lessons over the years, and Lauren, for reassuring parents with a mid-life child.
Nine years in, with nine years to go. Sadness...Joy...so this is parenting.
- Jason
Header Image: Avocado Chocolate Chunk Cookies - Returning soon!
Inset: SUP'ing Deep Creek, Boundary County, Idaho with Malia
|
