Two of my dear friends lost a parent in the past week or so, and it got me thinking. As I read the obituary of my friend Kyleen’s mom, Sarah Barnes, it talked about her family, her hard work in fundraising for cancer research, and much more. The same goes for my friend Stacie; her dad, Bob Craves, has left quite a legacy, cofounding Costco and a nonprofit that sent thousands of Washington teens to college. Both amazing people who will be missed dearly. They both have such impressive resumes. It feels that way a little bit, right? An obituary is sort of your life’s resume. Their communities see their hard work in many ways. You know where I can see the fruit of their hard work? In my friends. They are of good morals, caring, hardworking, great moms, dutiful family members. What is so cool about this is that all the things they were taught, they are now teaching others.
We have such an amazing opportunity and responsibility as parents to teach our children. Because really it isn’t just them we are teaching; it’s generation after generation to come. So, where to begin?
After a super long weekend with sick dog, me, kid, and au pair, I found a pocket of time to cuddle up alone with Hayden. I couldn’t believe what happened: It turned into confession time. He literally, for no reason I could think of, told me all the times he had broken the rules, snuck this or that . . .
I didn’t get mad. I sat and listened. I hugged him and thanked him for telling me. What a huge gift. When the rat race stopped, we connected and I learned on a much deeper level what’s going on with him. Of course, duh, I thought. I need to create these pockets for each child. Connecting one on one so I can have opportunities to play with them but also to teach them in a deliberate way.
I came across this verse this morning:
“And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others” 2 Timothy 2:2.
I thought, who better to teach than my kids? This is it. There is no dress rehearsal. We get one go around. Let’s make it good. Let’s invest in our kids!