A Tough Job

Being a parent is a tough job. Here’s a few quotes that illustrate the parenting adventure:

"The truth is that parents are not really interested in justice. They just want quiet." ~ Bill Cosby 

"Raising kids is part joy and part guerrilla warfare." ~ Ed Asner 

"When my kids become wild and unruly, I use a nice safe playpen. When they're finished, I climb out." ~ Erma Bombeck 

“Having children makes you no more a parent than having a piano makes you a pianist.”
~ Michael Levine

The last quote rings true. Just because you can give birth to, or father a child does not make you a parent. The sad truth is we have hundreds of homes in our communities with neglected, malnourished, and emotionally or physically abused children & teens. Like trying to mix oil and water, you cannot have a self-centered parent. Parenting at its core is giving up the needs and wishes of self for the health, care and provision of the child. My first realization of this fact was when we brought our precious little boy home and within the first few nights, I realized we would sacrifice sleep and quiet nights. I looked forward to going to work for rest. Later on I gave up the remote to the TV from watching Utah Jazz games to Thomas the Tank Engine and Blues Clues. I still have a few melodic phrases branded into my memory: “Blue Skadoos. We can too!…We just got a letter. We just got a letter. I wonder who it’s from”. Now, with teens I will be giving up my car.

When I think of all the sacrifices that come along with parenting, the one that stands out is letting go of the carefree, no worries life. When you bring your little bundle wrapped up in Grandma’s handmade blanket, you worry about every wrinkled face and noise. When you send them off to school, a friends house or riding the bike down the street, your pulse quickens. It takes all of your courage to release your grip on your car keys and drop them into the outstretched hand of your teen. Even when they are grown and have families of their own, your primary concern is still how they are doing.

I think that is why God gave us a reminder in the Ten Commandments to be respectful and grateful for the lifelong sacrifice our mothers and fathers have made for us.

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.” – Exodus 20:12