Both of my sons are grown, married, and raising little boys of their own. They are building their own households of faith. One day their children will rise up and call them blessed. Now that I have raised and released my sons into the adult world, there are a few things I wished I had know when I was a young mom. Endless days of thankless jobs combined with interrupted sleep began to make me doubt my role in God's plan to use me to train up my children in the way they should go. Now looking back, there are five things I wish I had known when they boys were young.
1. All the manners that I drilled into my little boys would meld together and become a cohesive part of the character. There nice manners would become a natural part of their interaction with family, friends and new acquaintances. Good manners would serve my boys well in school, in social settings, in personal relationships, in serving the Lord and His Church, and in the business arena. I wish I had known that those lessons in manners were gonna take.
2. Their teenage sass was a necessary part of separating themselves from us and beginning to own their own convictions and their own faith. This is not a fun part of training teens but it is necessary. Our teens could not live on our convictions or our faith. Defining their own faith was a messy process, but when it was complete both boys had grounded themselves in truth.
3. That logic patterns of making wise decision were being disguised by the emotional outbursts of typical teenage behavior, but the ability to make solid wise decisions were being developed and honed. Skillful decision making abilities were being cultivated, slowly but surely.
4. One day I would get to go to bed early and to sleep late. The promise of this luxury could have kept me hanging on for years. But I assumed I would never sleep again. Not so. I don't sleep well, but I do sleep.
5. In time they would exceed my love for the Lord and I would see them pursue, with passion, the Lord Jesus Christ. "I have no greater joy than to know my children walk in truth."
These are some of the things I wish I had known when my boys were young. How bout you? What do you wish you had known as a younger woman?
