Ramblings of A Mother’s Heart

“Train up a child in the way they should go and when they are old they will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22: 6)

Many of the young mother’s I know are preparing to send their little ones back to school, or to send their oldest or youngest child off to school for the first time. To a mother these are heart wrenching, bittersweet days.

You know in your heart that this is just a sign that they are growing up and growing up is natural and it’s what we expect them to do.  But sometimes these times sneak up on us.  It’s like the days and years just zip by so quickly. One day you are their world, the next they are out in the world.

From the moment of birth, children are set to become independent of their parents.  But at that moment this fact eludes us. We expect one day that they will grow and learn and then set out on their own, but when the time comes most of us are not prepared to let go.

Think about it, we are programmed as mothers to try to fulfill our child’s every need.  It’s who we are, it’s what we do… we tend, we love, we nurture… it’s in our nature to care for our young. It’s Mothering, and it’s a hard habit to break.

But imagine what the child’s life would be like if mothers never let go, never allowed their child to grow, mature, become independent, never become a productive part of society.

It’s an odd fact of Mothering that we live for them to ‘get out of diapers’, ‘grow out of the terrible twos’, and for us to ‘live through their teen years.’  And then we bemoan the fact that they have grown independent of us. We are odd beings are we not? 

Papa and I used to tease our youngest child and tell her we were going to put her in a box and never let her grow up. I wonder if that is why she fought so hard to become independent of us at such an early age.

On Saturday, August 15, our youngest daughter will be married. Though it is hard to let go… it’s time.  After all we are not loosing a daughter, we are gaining a son.

(and hopefully more grandchildren, one day)

Thanks for Listening to my ramblings and for Keeping us all in your prayers!!

In Him!!

Sharon