Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Roll Reversal

You spend all of your life learning, and growing, and trying to achieve bigger and better things.

You go to school and learn reading, and writing and arithmetic. Then you pick a specialty and go to college to further yourself in order to reach your goals. You meet someone, get married, and then have goals, together, that you are trying to reach.

And then you start a family.

Suddenly your goals change. You shift from spending 100% of your time on growing your own self, or your partnership ... and place a large percentage of your time into growing your children.

You begin with filling their basic needs: food, clothing, shelter. Then you teach them how to walk, and how to talk. You teach them their ABC's, how to count to ten, how to tie their shoes, and you send them off to Kindergarten to have a teacher continue what you have started.

You watch them progress through grade school, and on to middle school and high school, as they grow into young adults full of their own hopes, and dreams and goals. And one day, you look at your child and realize that all of the sudden ... they are smarter than you are! And though you are deliriously happy with your handy work, you realize that the rolls have been reversed. And though you can still teach them things, now they can teach you things as well.

I was once told that parenting is the hardest job on earth, with which I whole heartily agree - but I also believe that it is the most rewarding job on earth as well.

So all you parents out there ... keep on, keeping on ... there is a beautiful light at the end of the tunnel.

(And no, my kids are not in college, or even high school yet; but already I see an amazing, beautiful light at the end of childhood tunnel!)

Cheers!
Bridget

1 comment:

  1. Great post bridget. My kids are just toddlers but I find I am learning from them every day. Maybe not profound things - but just simple things. Like how to look at life. How amazing language development is. How fun it is to just stop everything and dance. How funny life really is. Some days it seems they have this life figured out much more so than mom!

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