by MC Allen

Created on: August 08, 2011

When asked, as a child, what I wanted to be when I grew up my answer was always the same; I want to be a wife and a mother.  Now that both dreams have been realized I realize how childlike those dreams really were.  When we are young we think of motherhood as 2-dimensional.  Change the diaper, feed the baby, push the stroller and the baby will be fine.  Obviously when I had real children things were slightly different.

Parenting and the joys of children is all about the response.  Oh yes, the most basic needs must be met but the response to those needs is why we all continue to have children.  The first smile and the joy you feel when that smile is completely directed at you.  The first step and the heartbreak of knowing that your child is becoming more independent.  The first day of kindergarten when you feel so proud and so sad at the same time.  All of the milestones with children can be summed up by the word Joy. 

My children are now 7 and 10 and my joys are so much more pronounced.  Watching a soccer game and getting teared up when a goal is scored and they look over for reassurance.  Straight A's on the report card and understanding the struggle that it took to earn those grades.  A simple movie day when the whole family can watch a movie together and then discuss it afterward. 

As the parent, I am shaping the person (or people) that they are becoming.  Do they have good manners?  Are they good friends?  Will they be good people?  I get great joy in knowing that I created them from scratch and that I am proud of who they are.  Children are a blessing, there is no doubt about that.  The notion that they are a reflection of their parents is completely true.  The joy of being a parent is not only having children that are a reflection of you but actually having children that are better than you.  To bask in the idea that every milestone is a joy and then prepare for the next one and how you are going to handle it.  Like I said, its all I ever wanted to do and so far so good.  I feel joyful every day (almost every day). 

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