I have held you close. Now as you fly into
adulthood, bound to open books and discover
worlds, I release you. But not without one final
prayer: Prosper not only in your studies, but
prosper in knowing God more richly.

I will not be there to catch you when you fall. But
God will catch you when I can’t.
Depend on Him and learn to trust Him.
You are not alone. Knowing this,
my empty nest will not seem so lonely.
My heart will soar as I watch you take wing.

Luckily, I haven’t yet faced the “empty nest syndrome,” however, I know that time will be here before I know it.  All we can do is hope and pray that we have led our children in the right direction.  We can say a prayer for children leaving home, and pray that God will keep them safe from any and all harm on their journey.  Take pride in your children and continue to offer them your love and support.  After all, we all know that even though they might be grown and out of the house, they will always be our babies.

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Hangin' out with my boys

When I ask myself that question, I would have to say overall, yes…I am.  I offer my boys encouragement, support, love, and advice  (which of course they don’t always want or take).

Of course, I wouldn’t say I’m anywhere near being their best friend.  After all, I know how to say no, when they always hope for the answer to be yes.  Oh, and of course they think I’m nosey…  But hey, isn’t that what moms do best?  LOL!

Well then…I read an article at Inspire Me Today, and I just realized I FAILED as a mother!!  OMG!

The article was titled Top 10 Mistakes Even Smart Moms Make.  I’ll give you a little sneak peak of what the top five mistakes are according to this article…but if you want the final five, then I suggest you go over and see where you fit in.

Just a little word of advice for you young mothers, or even better yet, you mother’s-to-be out there, it’s not too late for you!  Don’t make the same mistakes I’ve made…you still have time to be a good mother!

1. Sharing a bed with baby
2. Putting your child to bed with milk or juice
3. Buying second-hand toys or baby furniture
4. Showing your child “smart baby” DVDs
5. Putting kids in the basket of a shopping cart

Well, there you go…even though I didn’t do EVERYTHING on the top 10 list, I still didn’t pass the test.  How about you?  Where do you rate?

Oh well…yeah, right, I still think I’m a good mom.

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Bill Gates recently gave a speech at a High School about 11 things they did not and will not learn in school. He talks about how feel-good, politically correct teachings created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world.

1. Life is not fair – get used to it!
2. The world won’t care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.
3. You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won’t be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.
4. If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.
5. Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.
6. If you mess up, it’s not your parents’ fault, so don’t whine about your mistakes, ‘learn from them’..
7. Before you were born, your parents weren’t as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent’s generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.
8. Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they’ll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn’t bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.
9. Life is not divided into semesters. You don’t get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.
10. Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.
11. Be nice to nerds. Chances are you’ll end up working for one.

If these kids only knew the number of  times they will think back to when they were in school, and WISH they were still there!

Enjoy it while you’re there!   That’s all I have to say about that.

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My "little" boys...

Often times as parents we want to give our children “a better life,” then what we had growing up, but how do we define “better?”

Last night I was listening to Heshie Segal’s interview of Dr. Dennis Waitley, and he made this comment, ” Give your children roots and wings and less loot and things.”  It made really made me think…

In today’s society, we often allow material things to play a huge role in our lives.  We want our kids to have the latest and greatest game consoles, the most expensive name brands, we GIVE them nicer cars then we ourselves drive, and the list goes on and on…

Perhaps sometimes maybe we’re “buying” their love and affection, or they’ll think we’re “cool parents” if we buy them this or that.  However, if you think about it – are we really doing them a disservice?

In fact, I can remember one time, when I was a little girl, I overheard my dad talking to one of my aunts.  He told her that there were many things that he and my mom could buy us (my sisters and I) but they intentionally didn’t. Back then, I was hurt…I thought, “Gee, why would they do that to us?” But now, as a mother myself, I KNOW they wanted us to grow up understanding the value of money.  They knew that if we were responsible financially for some of our own pleasures, we’d take pride and better care of those things we earned ourselves.

As our children grow up, and they become the next generation of adults, can we say we really gave them the better things in life?  Did we teach them values, respect, morals, good judgment, and responsibility?  These are the products we should worry about giving our children.

Once they’re ready to “fly the coup” can we honestly look ourselves in the mirror and say we planted good seeds?  Did we help our children grow their wings, so they can mature and fly out on their own?  Or will we regret handing everything over to them on a silver platter, hindering them as adults?

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It is time to let go,to stand back and watch
as the young leave home
and go out into the world
on their own.
Bless them, O God,
in all their endeavors,
in their successes and failures.
Guard them from all harm and evil
and make them strong to resist temptation.
Lead them in your paths
that they may be the builders of life
and not destroy your creation.
Teach them your ways of justice
that they may care for the well-being of all
and not for their needs alone.
Guide them in their search for truth
that they may praise you in all they do.
Let them trust the love of family
to support them in their time of need,
to care for their hopes and dreams,
and to love them, no matter what comes.
Amen.

- Vienna Cobb Anderson

It’s not often that I post something twice in one day, however, when I came across this prayer, I just knew I had to share it.  With our children all headed back to school, we know that it’s sometimes difficult to watch them leave.

Perhaps it’s just for the day, or for many parents, we face the fears of the dreaded “empty nest syndrome.”  No matter how long they’ll be gone…all we can do is hope and pray that the morals we’ve taught them, and the lessons they’ve learned will help them along their journey.

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Do you have a child in school?  Are you often trying to remember certain things right before your child goes to bed at night – just so you’re not scrambling to remember everything in the morning?

Well, if you’re like most parents, you have so may things to do each evening, and so little time to get things done in preparation for the next day.

Parent Checklist

Therefore, a very special friend came up with this perfect solution for every parent with school age-age kids:  Ten important questions every parent should ask when their child gets home from school.

It can easily be a topic of discussion over the dinner table:

1. What did you learn in school today?
2. Do you have any homework?
3. Do you have an up-coming test/quiz (requiring extra study time)?
4. Do you have an up-coming school project that might require extra homework time in the near future?
5. Do you need anything signed by me – to be returned to the school the next day?
6. If you had any notes for the teacher, etc. did you make sure you turned them in today?
7. Do you need lunch money?
8. Do you need any school supplies of any kind?
9. How was school/are there any problems we need to be aware of?
10. Any other question that is pertinent to your own family’s situation…

If you follow these easy steps, you’ll be sure to have a smoother transition the next morning.

As busy parents we can all use a little help – a little help and a little extra time can go a long way in the morning!

Happy parenting!

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