Mother's Day Letter to My Son
Dear Son,
You enjoy unconventional things, right? Well, this Mother’s Day I’m sending a greeting to you.
You know that education is important. I thought you might like to know what I learned from you. And maybe, just maybe, you might have learned a little from your mother in the process.
Do you remember your first day of school? I packed a lunch for you big enough to feed a lumberjack. I learned that you try to prepare kids for life, and hope they survive .
YOU may have learned that your mom loved you so much she sometimes showed it in funny ways.
Recall the time when we got your first puppy. She kept me awake for the first several nights, howling for her mom and siblings. I learned that moms sometimes lose sleep to provide their children with things they think they need.
YOU may have learned that having a pet means responsibility and sacrifice.
Do you remember the time you sneaked across the hall to the bathroom in the middle of the night, clad only in underwear—despite your mom’s instruction to wear pants-- and your sister already was there in the dark? I learned “line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little”—and hopefully after a while your kids might learn a little.
YOU may have learned that in order to avoid embarrassment, you should listen to good, old-fashioned advice from your parents.
Remember when you got your first car and showing your friends your new driving skills, you backed over a container full of flowers? I learned that kids trying to appear“cool” in front of their friends, sometimes do stupid things which require patience and grace on the part of parents.
YOU may have learned (painfully)that “pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
Do you remember when you were little and used to say “blanna” instead of banana? I learned that children are unique and loveable just as they are.
YOU may have learned that it doesn’t hurt to be not in lock-step with those around you, that kids sometimes grow up at different rates than described by the books.
Recall when the dentist clipped under your tongue so you could talk plainly? I learned that it hurts to see your kids experience painful things.
YOU learned that life can be painful at times, but hang in there, because it’s going to get better.
Remember when that cute little girl in your first grade class told you that your granola bar looked like bird seed? You wouldn’t eat them after that. I learned that kids would rather take cues from their friends than from their parents. That was a hard one for me, because up to that point you thought I was smart.
YOU probably experienced your first lesson in peer pressure. It hurt me more than it did you.
And lastly, remember when at age sixteen, you thought you could wrestle and overcome Dad? Instead he overcame you and dragged you through a wet spot on the floor where someone had spilled soda pop. I learned that though my children grow up faster than the speed of light, it’s a growth process for us all.
YOU (hopefully) learned that just because a person has a grown-up body, it doesn’t mean he’s ready to take on the world.
Those are my thoughts this Mother’s Day. Raising you was a real adventure, and somehow we all survived. I just wanted you to know that I pray for you every day because you not only grew under my heart, but in it.
Love,
Mom
How about you? Any thoughts on raising children? Feel free to comment below.