love and logic

when i was pregnant with coen people used to ask me if i was scared about raising a child. now, i totally didn't know what i was in for, even with all the experience i had, but i wasn't scared. perhaps maybe i should have been, but my honest answer was always, "no. not at all." the truth was that having an infant, toddler, preschooler, adolescent, or teenager didn't scare me at all...not one bit. having an adult child...um terrifying! i mean, don't get me wrong i am sure family gatherings with all the grand-kids are very fulfilling. but once that child grows into an adult they are a reflection of you. we have such a short time to teach them, grow them, and raise them into respectable and responsible adults. this whole parenting job is kind of a big deal. eep!

like i said earlier, i was well rehearsed for this gig. i have years of experience in early childhood education, babysat my way through college, a degree in elementary education, i have never ever had a paying job that did not involve kids...i get children, i was born for this. the catch is that when they are your kids you have an emotional connection to them unlike all the the other children i have taught, loved, and learned from. this emotional connection is a gift from God. when they hurt, you hurt. they are of you, and you can not imagine loving anything more than you love them. this relationship is the definition of unconditional love. praise Him for that! it is also this very connection that complicates things. our children are not born perfect, and as much as we would like to think that they are, we have to grow them into responsible adults that are able to make good life choices. i would love to say that i have this figured out, and if i did i would write a book about it. the truth is, there is not one set way to raise children. families are different, cultures are different, kids are different. however, there are many great resources out there to help parents stay focused, and not get caught up in that tangled emotional web that comes with disciplining and raising these most precious souls. as many of you know, coen is smack dab in the middle of being 2. two is fun, it is full, it is busy, and it is challenging. i want to look back on these years and remember that we thrived through them. there will be days of surviving, but i want them to be minimal. so i have decided that the many who have traveled this road before me, just may have some good insight that will make this journey ever more joyful. in short, i am reading a few good parenting books and i will blog my way through them in hopes that some of you will either join me in reading, or that my notes may offer some insight into your journey as a parent. reading a couple books won't turn me perfect, nothing will. but i am committed to learning, growing, and adapting as a parent on this chaotic bliss filled journey.

won't you join me in exploring the very popular book,

i have already begun, and it's a goody!