As I consider how hard it will be to have a child, the thing that freaks me out the most (other than child birth, which I am ignoring as long as I can), is raising my child. That is going to be hard work!
One of the things that was hard for me growing up was seeing how stressed out my mother was. It bothered me. I didn't understand why she wasn't at her best at times. I thought it was my fault. When she yelled and got angry about minor things like spilling milk, or losing something, it seemed like it was the start of World War III.
As an adult, I see this differently. I now know that my mom was super stressed because she was overwhelmed. Being a parent is tough work. My dad worked 100 hours a week for twenty years straight. My poor mom didn't have much backup assistance. Babies don't actually come with an instruction manual. Especially, because each child is different. What works for one, isn't going to work for the other.
I forgive my mother for not being at her best. She's only human. I'm certain she wishes she had been able to be more patient.
I hope I have the perspective to take a step back when things get hard. I pray I learn how to be patient even when I want to storm off and punch a hole in the wall. I need to remember that everyone makes mistakes, including me, which means I shouldn't expect more from my babies.
One of the things that was hard for me growing up was seeing how stressed out my mother was. It bothered me. I didn't understand why she wasn't at her best at times. I thought it was my fault. When she yelled and got angry about minor things like spilling milk, or losing something, it seemed like it was the start of World War III.
As an adult, I see this differently. I now know that my mom was super stressed because she was overwhelmed. Being a parent is tough work. My dad worked 100 hours a week for twenty years straight. My poor mom didn't have much backup assistance. Babies don't actually come with an instruction manual. Especially, because each child is different. What works for one, isn't going to work for the other.
I forgive my mother for not being at her best. She's only human. I'm certain she wishes she had been able to be more patient.
I hope I have the perspective to take a step back when things get hard. I pray I learn how to be patient even when I want to storm off and punch a hole in the wall. I need to remember that everyone makes mistakes, including me, which means I shouldn't expect more from my babies.
