Watching Your Children Grow

There is something extraordinary in watching your children grow up.  It all happens too fast...like one moment taking your child’s picture wearing a diaper and standing in Daddy’s shoes, and what seems like the next moment, buying that child his own first pair of size 10 shoes. 

For me, reality hit with the hand-me-down skirt that was given to my 7-year-old Becca that was sizes too big.  One morning she dressed herself, putting on that perfectly pink over-sized skirt.  She ran downstairs searching for me.  Standing there with the skirt draping on the floor, she asked, “Mommy, does this fit me yet?”  “No,” I answered.  She sighed and a sad look crept over her face.  “I’ll never be big enough.  I’ve tried it on every week and it still doesn’t fit!”  That moment imprinted on my heart.  “Stay little,” I thought.  “No....stay innocent, stay sweet, and stay my little girl.”  

So my quest became preserving that sweetness that children bring so naturally to families.  I try to take the perfect pictures.  I write in journals with them, and sometimes for them.  I kiss them when they are sleeping. At times when my husband and I are tempted to roll our eyes, we try to remind each other, “Someday we’ll miss that.”  

I think attempting to see the world from the perception and perspective of children is really healthy at times.  My youngest crawled in my bed one morning.  “What in the world I am I going to do when you leave me and go to kindergarten?” I asked.  “You’ll leave me all by myself at home.”  My Maryn had a brilliant 4-year-old answer.  “You can do the dishes. Then you can read or write in your journal.  And maybe you could sleep for a little minute.”  She amazed me with her important life components:  work hard, enjoy moments, and then rest.

The spiritual perception of children amazes me as well.  I was asked once, “Mom, I’m thinking about 2 people and they are brighter than the sun.  Who am I thinking about?”  That’s a girl that might quite possibly know more about God and Jesus Christ than I do.  And I still think of the time one daughter went to the Glory of Christmas production many years ago, and came home describing every detail of the live nativity.  Alex finally just had to ask, “Becca, did you go to Bethlehem?”  I think Bethlehem is actually quite near to children.

These kids grow up.  They have new desires and new appetites.  Alex at one point told me, “Mom, when I grow up I want to work in the judicial branch because I like to think about laws...like when there’s a drought, I can help people not waste water.  Or like saying don’t drive airplanes too low unless they are landing.”  Now he tells me he wants to be an engineer.  He will be.  But I think he will be committed to using just laws and discipline to be the best engineer he can be, just as he planned to use laws and discipline to be a great worker of the judicial branch.

By far, the greatest thing I can offer my growing children is my never-ceasing love for them.  From the moment I first held them in my arms, I committed to them my unconditional love.  Some days are easier to show love than others.  We all face disappointments, frustrations, thoughtless moments, and failures.  But I never want my kids to doubt I love them.  I want them to be confident like my Eliza who came home from school a few years back and declared, “Mom, when I’m Kinder of the Week, you can come and tell everybody you love me!”  Of course I will, I thought.  That’s exactly what I want the world to know.

Contributed by Amy from California