He'll Always Be My Baby

My firstborn is almost as tall as I am. That’s not saying much since, without heels, my height isn’t hard to beat.

I look at him when he’s sleeping and remember the baby he used to be. His personality is the same as the day he was born. Civility and morality are trained; personality is innate.

The talking-to that he gave the recliner when he was one year old and couldn’t climb up into it by himself is the same talking-to he gives to anything else he’s trying to conquer now. By the way, he finally got up by himself into that chair. He was persistent even while he told off that chair. Standing by as a parent was hard.

It’s still hard for me to stand by as a parent and let him learn to do things himself. But, if a trip to the emergency room isn’t apparent from the situation presenting itself, I generally let him try things himself.

On the same vein, we’re trying to train our children how to think instead of just telling them what to think.

We also talk through possible outcomes of what they’re wanting to do, how it may affect others, and if it’s really a good choice. It’s a tedious process, but worth it when we see them, independent of us, make good choices.

Kal used his Target gift card tonight. He knew he wanted something from the sporting goods section, and when he got there, I loved seeing him think through the best way to use that card and get the most bang for the buck. He ended up going through several selections, getting sticker-shock, finally deciding on a basketball and a soccer ball.

It’s very easy for our kids to spend our money, but they are extremely thoughtful at spending their own.

Time will tell what our children become as adults; and I’ll probably never stop seeing glimpses of them as babies.