Thursday, August 18, 2011

When He Gets Where He's Going

Once I got through the initial shock of finding out I was pregnant, I began praying. Praying for safety for my baby. Praying for my health. Praying that my husband and I could raise a child and not completely screw up his or her life.
Working with teenagers, I've seen my fair share of parenting styles and their results. I've seen the super uptight parents who are incredibly hard on their children and expect nothing less than success. I've seen the super liberal who don't even know where their child is five nights out of the week. I've seen parents who keep secrets from non-family members and try to sweep their child's problems under the rug so no one can see their "dysfunction," as well as those who tend to share every problem their family encounters. It's like the cloth diapering vs. disposable argument only 14 years later.

Now this is not where I'm going to become Sanctimommy and say that I'm going to be so much better than all of these parents. In some regards I think each of these parents are doing something right with their children. I mean, they've made it 17 years with no major incidents, right?

My biggest prayer is that Thomas becomes a confident, responsible and respectful young man. Whether he does that as a plumber or the person who cures cancer is not up for me to decide or dictate. He will choose many paths in his life--career, family, college, etc.--but my husband, my family and I are responsible for helping to shape the character through which he will make those decisions.

No pressure, Mom.

I can't say that I'm exactly worried about the kid. He's got a slew of people looking out for him and ready to support and love him. Four generations of folks looking after that sweet little face.

 "The Gang" at Thomas' baptism
Me, my dad and my great-grandmother with Thomas. My grandfather (her son) passed away one week before Thomas was born.

Not to mention, he's got a momma who will beat the tar out of anyone that messes with him.

Don't let the smile fool you; she'll cut cha!

Oh that boy. Wherever will he go?

1 comment:

  1. "Wherever will he go" is right. I work(ed) with teenagers, too, and constantly wonder what sort of adult my son will become. When I envisioned having children, I never thought about babies; I thought about teenagers. Wherever will he go? The thought is scary and wondrous. Thanks for a beautiful post :)

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