Most days, I want to take my children and wrap
them in bubble wrap. When they were
younger the bubble wrap would protect from physical injury. As they grow, the bubble wrap will protect
from emotional injury. They just need
protection from this world. Unfortunately,
I cannot place them in bubble wrap.
We are in a phase with my son becoming
involved in a relationship. He really
likes this girl and spends much of the waking hours face-timing (replaced
telephone conversations) or hanging out in person. The time together is great for the two. Relationships can teach us and grow us for
sure; but, I remember relationships at his age. . .
Some aspects of relationship present decision
making well beyond the knowledge of a 15-year-old. They think in the here and now. They remain clueless about future
consequences. They have not yet felt
regret for a decision (or at least I pray not).
My daughter, on the other hand, enters a phase
of confusion. Physical maturation is
setting in and I don’t believe she likes one bit of it. She battles with comparison (yes, already at
10 years old) to the other girls in her circle.
I cannot form the words needed in prayer to calm my fears as a mom. I worry about the opinions she speaks of
herself and the concern with physical appearance.
Some aspects of remaining healthy and active
are great. While, stepping over the line
of balance can lead to an emotional prison.
Girls at 10 years old cannot fathom their beauty inside. They think about the current image in the
mirror and begin picking apart every tiny flaw.
They remain clueless about future consequences. They begin shaming, degrading self and
working to perfect outward appearance.
My son is amazing, and I don’t want him to
lose focus in life.
My daughter is beautiful, and I don’t want her
to second guess her purpose.
My son is caring, and I don’t want his heart
to be broken.
My daughter is joyful, and I don’t want the
world to steal her heart.
What is a mother to do? Again, I believe bubble wrap would be the
answer. Or, maybe I just shelter them
inside my home with no communication to the outside world. Okay, for real, I know these aren’t the
answer.
The answer is communication. We must talk to our kids daily about the
events going on in their world. This
life is full of hardships. We are there
to help, guide and pray with them. We
can point them to the One with all the answers to life struggles. We assist in laying a solid foundation for
which to stand and a soft place which to land when life crumbles.
Another answer is honesty. The struggles do not vanish with age. I struggle in relationship. My marriage is awesome; but, we face
decisions well beyond our knowledge. We
think in the now with selfish motives and clueless on consequences. I battle with comparison (yes, even at ____
years old). I struggle to see the beauty
inside and I still am picking up the pieces of past regret.
The sum of it all. . .parenting is difficult! We hope better for our children. Our hearts break to see them struggle; all
while trying our best every day to be a solid, healthy, consistent example for
them to follow. God blessed us with
family to build a team. We are to build
a team to shine the light of God into the world. Staying together as a team provides strength
when times get tough. The enemy will not
stand a chance against a family protected by an army of angels.
Instead of inhabiting the same house together,
let’s work on building a home together.
Greet one another with love.
After being out in the world for 7+ hours, a loving touch, smile or
simple greeting would assure they are entering a safe place. Build confidence in the hearts of each family
member that they are not alone.
Pray.
Talk. Laugh. Eat together.
Play.
10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may
live together with him. 11 Therefore encourage one
another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:10-11
Live life. . .One Day at a
time!
Sheree Craig
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