A couple weeks ago I was given an
interesting opportunity as my wife headed off for a weekend retreat with her
coworkers. I wondered about what I could
possibly do with two small children for an entire weekend. You see, there has been a balance in our
house where we take turns caring for the children to give each other a break,
but during these seventy-two hours it would be all on me. Now I know what some of you may be thinking, “Come
on, how many single parents do this day in and day out” or “How many stay-at-home
moms do this every day?” It’s true that
many parents are fully equipped to handle this challenge however this weekend
with my children opened my eyes to a variety of thoughts.
First, there were several challenging
moments throughout the weekend where I wondered what we would do, how I would
survive or how the children would survive.
I think if we were all honest this would be something that every parent
can resonate with. We get so excited to
raise our children during the pregnancy but then life throws a variety of
challenges at us that we were never expecting or prepared to handle with
them. Despite these challenges our role
is to love our children unconditionally and care for them because they are
ours. A great example of this is to
think about the part that God plays in His desire to have a personal
relationship with us. God loves us and
accepts us daily, despite the mistakes or shortcomings that we may
exhibit. We should love our children in
the same way, unconditionally, even when it hurts.
The second thought happened on the first
night when my son woke up crying because he had gotten sick all over his
bed. As I was cleaning up the mess and
him, he simply looked at me with tears in eyes and said, “I’m sorry daddy for
getting sick. My heart completely broke
because I wondered if my attitude had conveyed that I was frustrated with
him. As I sat on the floor with him
cradled in my arms, I reminded him that I loved him and cared for him despite
this inconvenience. This experience made
me think about the way that I talk to and communicate with my children daily. Am I sending a message of love, compassion, and
care or rather one of judgment and ridicule?
I realized in that moment the effect that I will forever have on the
lives of my children.
Finally, when the weekend drew to a
close and mommy returned home there was great rejoicing from all parties. However, what grabbed my attention the most
was the recollection that the kids shared with my wife about all of our
adventures from the weekend. After they
finished their whirlwind stories, they stopped and looked at me and said “Thank
you daddy.” My heart was so grateful
because of all the time and energy that I put into that weekend, investing in
them, caring for them, cleaning up after them, which are all parts of being a
parent. However, I wondered how many
other parents don’t ever hear the words, “Thank you” from their children. I know that these words become increasingly
less as children get older but as parents we need to know that we are
appreciated and valued for all of the long hours and hard work that we pour
into our children.
So if no one has ever told you, as
parent what you do matters and is important.
The investment, love and care that you show your children will forever
impact their lives. Your influence may
never be known to your children until they are adults, if ever, but thank you
for investing in them. Thank you for
pouring your heart into your children.
Thank you for loving them unconditionally. Thank you for being there for them. Thank you for being the best parent you can
be to your children!
