Children Are A Blessing

This morning, taking a few minutes for silent meditation and prayer, I thought about the blessing of children. It seems just about everyone loves babies, cute small children but as children grow, so many parents neglect the nurturing aspect of parenting.
My phone rings several times a day, grown children calling to chat, to ask a question, to seek some advice, always letting us know we are loved. What opportunity for us as parents to continue to nurture, to let them know as adults that they continue to give us joy, happiness and bless us. As parents to adults we enter into new ground, the place where we can affirm their goodness, the positive aspects of their lives, and encourage to overcome the struggles they deal with. Positive parenting seems to stop for some when their children become adults, or the minute grandchildren arrive. So many parents tend to look at the things they don't like in their adult children, whisper behind their backs to others, "well, you know they do ..... (fill in the blank". I always remember someone saying that when you are picking out a greeting card for someone you really don't like, find one that says what you wish the relationship was like. It changes how you feel, how you perceive the relationship at that moment. With your adult children, think about how good it would feel to hear your own mother or father give you some praise for something you do....then think about your own parenting, have you forgotten to encourage ? Our children are a blessing at any age. Don't forget to tell your adult children about the things you admire in them, give them the positive comments that inspire. If there are problems, admit where you "missed the boat" in parenting and created issues for them and you, move past that, tell them you regret the mistakes you made in that area, apologize and start building. We do mess up as parents. Some parents value things more than their children, or maybe even live self absorbed lives, and believe me, children feel that and have to make their own life truth about their own value from that sort of parental priority. Some religious parents, put a judgement in every other sentence and do nothing but distance their children from them and make them want to run from them, imaging God as having that same judgemental opinion of them. Feeling they will never ever be able to measure up.
Children, even adult children need to be encouraged, loved in spite of the mistakes made, loved
regardless of the choices made from the heart of youthful exuberance.
Remember, our children are a blessing given to us for all their lives.
Thanks Melissa, Melanie and Steven for being such wonderful people and thanks for always calling to chat ; )