After sharing with you last week what I’ve learned from my daughter in 21 years of parenting her, I asked many of you to tell me what your children have taught you.
Bonnie Jean of Middletown, NJ said her sons, ages 21 and 19, teach her something almost every day if she keeps her heart and eyes open:
They teach me to look beyond the obvious to what lies beneath… beneath the rebellion, the pink hair, the attitude…to what is hurting or broken in their lives, whether it be my sons’ lives or the lives of their friends.
They teach me to listen — even when I do not want to.
They teach me that sometimes the best conversations are when I do the least talking.
They teach me that God’s timing and mine are not often the same even though they have no idea that they are doing that.
They have taught me patience and how to laugh till I cry or till my stomach hurts.
And they have taught me to love someone so much that I would die for them. Thus, they have taught me much about what God must be like.
Florence of Santa Rosa, CA, a pastor’s wife, said this about what her daughter, Dolores, now the mother of a high school-aged daughter, has taught her:
My daughter has taught me that she is her ‘own person’ when my schedule seemed to smother her.
She taught me that friendships should always be treasured, when my schedule cut our time short at the skating rink, beach or other mother/daughter outing.
She taught me that my goals, though they affected her world, are just that — my goals. And that hers were just as vital.
She taught me to balance my ministry with my culture, and to always to be proud of who I am.
She taught me that speaking out with positive opinions just might make a difference for someone else, and we may not even realize it. (She’s more outgoing than I am.)
She taught me that fairness is important when rearing children. (She’s the middle child.)
She is teaching me that God is at work to make her the woman He wants her to me.
And Tristan of Riverside, CA said her two boys, ages 3 and 5, continually teach her patience.
In a great way, I can minister and be more patient with others from the patience I learn with them. They also teach me the simple joys that can be found in life, from a butterfly flying to a leaf floating in the wind, to “saving” worms. They make life so full!
Thanks, Bonnie Jean, Florence and Tristan for sharing your hearts with us. Florence will receive a copy of my book, When a Mom Inspires Her Daughter and Bonnie Jean and Tristan will receive Rhonda Stoppe’s book, Moms Raising Sons to be Men, both from Harvest House Publishers.
And to be fair to all my readers, not just the moms, I’d love to know what being without children has taught any of you.
