“We will have children when the bank account holds enough cushion to survive such life changing event.” “When we become parents, we will never say/do __________.” “Our children will never behave in such a manner.”
Ever heard such comments? Ever said such comments? Visualizing parenthood outside of the everyday decision making, sleep deprived moments and wallet draining years may seem a much prettier picture then the real live drama. No person can prepare completely for such a role. Filling the diaper bag, decorating the room, child proofing the house (which doesn’t work), etc. sets the scene. But, life with children remains unpredictable; therefore, planning typically does not help in the actual moment.
I have learned more in the twelve years as mom than the other __:-)___ years of my life. I would like to share some of the top few lessons with you today. . .
1) Your children will act like children: misbehavior requires disciplinary action, but the misbehavior does not REFLECT you as a parent/person. Children need to grow at each level, learning valuable lessons to set a solid foundation to help them withstand such a broken world. Love them where they are so they can grow into the next phase of life. You were given the position as parent/guardian over another human being because Someone trusts you with such the role. Embrace the role and take one moment at a time.
2) Your child will not fulfill the empty areas from your childhood: yes, these children are your DNA; but, they will not fill in the gaps of your past dreams. They may not like sports, win that trophy, run the family business, dance, excel in school, get into that college, etc. They carry our DNA and it stops there. Love the child, encourage the child and teach the child. In doing so, they will build their own dreams, passions and love for life. Pushing children to complete YOUR past dreams will only lead to misery and failures.
3) Your children belong to a generation of illness: the children we see each day will be the first generation to NOT outlive their parent/guardian due to type II diabetes (according to study in TIME magazine). Process that last statement for a moment. . .
Children live in a sedentary, fast food, Internet driven world. If things don’t go easy and projects complete within 5-10 minutes, children give up and frustration sets in. The children that do play sports and remain active negate such positive actions with the nutrition intake. Parents/guardians spend countless dollars on sports activities for children; yet, the foods eaten and sedentary lifestyle within the home do nothing to support an athlete. Actually, such a lifestyle does quite the opposite: destroying an athlete’s body. With such impact sports, intense training and various skills performed on the field/court; children require proper nutrients to sustain and assist their body in functioning/surviving.
We are the generation these children look to for guidance. What can we do today to empower their character, encourage their dreams, engage in their activities and educate them on overall health? We can model it! We can provide it! We can walk alongside the next generation, making the best of each day physically, emotionally and spiritually.
Laugh today with a child. Choose a nutritious meal to eat today with a child. Embrace a child (we need over 10 hugs a day – be one for a child). Take a stand to fight against such statistic released in TIME magazine. Do it for yourself and results will trickle down to the next generation. Let’s save our future!
Reaching optimal health. . .One Day at a Time
Sheree Craig
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