I’ve been a parent for 10 years. 10 years! Sometimes I can’t believe that The Hubs and I are actually raising another human being. (Two as a matter of fact.) Think about it. Lily started out as a sweet, helpless little baby who could do nothing for herself. We kept her alive!! We taught her how to walk and eat and poop in a toilet. We taught her how to talk and how not to talk to strangers. We taught her how to interact with others, share, read words, brush her teeth and take a shower. Now she functions on her own. It’s amazing when you think about it.

So what have I learned about being a parent these last 10 years? Oh my, this list is really quite long but I thought I’d limit it to 10 lessons.

I’ve learned …….

You don’t know what you’re doing until you actually start doing it. There is no book (besides the Bible- And last time I checked, there was no chapter on potty training.) that can tell you exactly what to do for your specific child. You are going to make mistakes. You’ll do a lot of things right, too, though. If anyone claims to have this parent thing “nailed”, they are lying.

To be humble. Oh sweet mercy, have I been humbled! And if it doesn’t happen with the first child, it will happen with the second one. Trust me on that.

I am not as patient as I thought.  

That I can’t do it alone. I need God and His wisdom. Desperately. But I also need grandparents, aunts and uncles and a tribe of other mamas to help. You cannot parent alone.

Being a parent is a privilege. It’s not something to be taken for granted. It’s the biggest responsibility The Hubs and I will ever have. Even though that fact is sometimes overwhelming, I can’t believe God chose us to be the parents to our two kids. We are very blessed.

The Hubs and I have to be a team. We may not always agree; but we always have each other’s backs. We are a united front. The kids know we love each other and I know that makes them feel safe. Lately, we’ve made a point to kiss in front of Lily. It totally grosses her out; but it’s pretty entertaining for us.

I would not laugh nearly as much as I do if I didn’t have my kids. It is never a dull moment around here. They see the joy in the smallest, simplest things.

Comparing your kids to other kids will rob you of so much joy. This is not a lesson I’ve mastered; but I’m learning and getting better at it. Comparing anything: accomplishments, behavior, parenting skills is a dangerous slope that usually lead us to feeling discontent and and disciplining out of fear. Raising kids is not about a picture perfect finished product. My kids are learning and flawed just like me. They deserved to be loved and shown grace and mercy just like me. They deserved to be nurtured and disciplined according to their uniqueness, knowing that our goal as a parent is to reach their hearts, not have them look good to other people.

Taking breaks is soooooooooooo good. Whether you have one kid or 7, stay at home parent or working parent, we need breaks from our kids from time to time. It’s just healthy. It may be an afternoon every week or date night with your spouse. It could be going clear across the country for 5 days which I recently did. We all need to recharge.

I have so much more to learn!   If I know anything for certain on this list, it’s this last one. Mistakes have been made and will continue to be made; but my kids still seems to like me. And I’m sure that the next 10 years of parenting will produce an even longer list than the one I’ve shared here. I’ll have a book by then!

Ok, as a bonus, I’ll throw in one more lesson.

That you’ll say things you never imagined would leave your lips. “Don’t lick the glass.” “Stop eating books.” “Why aren’t you wearing underwear?” “Don’t let the dog lick you inside of your mouth.” You know, things like that.

 

A couple of months ago my sweet Lil turned 10.

How is it that our 5 pound 3 oz little baby is 10?! Double digits!

 

All I know is that just the other day you looked like this

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I blinked my eyes for a split second and now you look like this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m afraid to blink again, honestly. So, I’m trying to be cool and say, “I’m just trying to enjoy each season with my kids and appreciate it for what it is.” But, inside, I’m freaking out. It’s already going by so fast. I don’t want you to get older. I want you to stay just how are you at this moment. I want to freeze time.

But since that simply cannot be, I want to thank you, my sweet girl, for these 10 wonderful years.

Happy Birthday, Lulu!