Learning to live while living

Let’s just face it, parenting can be hard…although it is the most rewarding privilege in the world, it can also create a sense of doubt and hopelessness. Am I doing things the right way? Am I being the best parent that I can be? We’ve all had that moment where we weren’t sure that we were doing enough to provide the best life for our children, but I’m here to assure you that it IS enough.

Being a parent is hard. Being a single parent is harder because the weight of the world falls on one set of shoulders, rather than two. No, I’m not here to say that single parents deserve any more recognition than a household consisting of two parents. However, I am here to provide encouragement to any parent that may be going through a storm in life concerning the well being of their child (ren).

I’m a firm believer that the genetic make up of a home strongly influences the outcome of the children residing in that home; whether it be a home with one parent or two. I grew up in a two-parent home, but I’m a single mother of two beautiful children. Needless to say, I find myself at times burdened by the lack of having that second parent in my household.

I worry about making ends meet, sacrificing time away from my children to get a few extra hours in at work, making sure that my children are stimulated emotionally, physically and spiritually, as well as making sure that all of their wants and needs are met…but what parent DOESN’T do that? Of course we ALL do these things for our kids, even though at times they seem undoable…that’s just what PARENTING is.

We live in a day and age where we over exert ourselves as parents to keep up with the lifestyles of others but what do kids remember the most? Memories created through time.

As parents, we get so caught up in the day-to-day life that we actually lose focus on living while we “live”. Too often, we worry about the bills, the latest clothes and shoe fads for our children, or whether our house looks better than our neighbors across the street. All the while, all our children care about is going to the park, going fishing or camping out in the backyard--the simple things in life.

Although being a parent comes with a great sense of responsibility, it’s okay to let your hair down here or there. It’s okay not to be perfect. Our children love us in spite of our daily flaws and shortcomings, because we will always be perfect in their eyes.

So what if your child doesn’t wear Jordans, Polo, Abercrombie or North Face…the question is does he/she know Jesus Christ as our Savior? Do they know about the fruits of labor? Do they know that there’s ALWAYS someone LESS FORTUNATE than they are? If you can answer “yes” to any of these questions then there is absolutely no reason to stress the materialistic conformities of today’s society. What you’re doing as a parent is ENOUGH. As long as we teach our children about life and what it is truly about, then there is no better way to live.

One thing that is for certain for all of us is that we will die, so why continue living just to die? Take the time to live your life with a purpose by investing that time into your children, rather than using it for stressing about things you can’t control. Yes, we all have bills; we want to provide our children with a better life than we were given. However, that’s no reason to beat yourself up when you’re doing the best that you can in life. Accept the fact that your best may not be better than others, but your best is and always will be ENOUGH.

Learn to live while living. Stop, smell and pick the roses. Create everlasting memories with your children because at the end of the day, we are someone that they to look up to, to learn from, to love on and receive love from. Use that time wisely because our children will one day grow up and venture out to start a life of their own. Get to living while the living is good!

rvaden@blythevillecourier.com