Love is Not for Sissies

I think I’ve mentioned (a time or two) that mom-hood is awesome.  It’s full of baby giggles, skipping, story time, hugs, kisses, surprises, laughter, fun and love.  Becoming a mother is the most fulfilling, wonderful thing I’ve ever done.

However, there is a darker side to parenting that I rarely mention . . . colic, teething, skinned knees, homework, hurt feelings, tummy aches, rebellion, and heartache.  Heartache --- it’s the worst!  As moms and dads, we take great pains to ensure our kids are happy and healthy, safe and secure.  We strap them into car seats, pump them with vitamins, cook healthy meals, counsel them, tutor them, and patch their boo-boos.  But, when it comes to heartache, we’re pretty-much useless.  There’s no way to protect against it.  In fact, not only do we not protect them from it, but we actually potentially push them toward it!  We encourage them to develop relationships, pushing them to surrender to love, marriage, and a family of their own.  We tell them how wonderful it is to be in love, and tell them to put their trust in another.

Then, what if things go awry?  What can we say to ease their pain?  -- Absolutely nothing.  It's the most helpless feeling.

Truth is, nothing will ease the pain, but time.  So, we listen, we hug, we tell them we love them.  And we remind them that, no matter how much it hurts at the moment, true love is worth finding and always worth the risk!

. . . and someday they’ll believe us.