Being a kid is something we adults know all too well, goes way too quickly! Being driven around, food prepared for you, laundry cleaned, folded, and put away, bedtime stories, playing at the park, make believe, the endless ideas and possibilities for the future......It all goes by like a lightning bolt on a thundery night and you are left with hopefully some amazing memories of family and friends who have watched you grow and learn! So why then do our children insist on growing up so fast? I just celebrated my thirty-first birthday in November (yes you heard it right..... and my oldest just turned thirteen year old 0.o). Like it or not, I too was one of those kids that just couldn't wait to enter into the grown up world of responsibility and decision making. I couldn't wait to be a wife and a mother! And while I am completely happy about the ways my life has developed, why was I so enamored with the longing to be older, more mature, more attractive to the boys??? With my earliest remembrance of my first crush at a mere three years old, I know all too well what it is to be dreamily "in love". The reason I found the need to write about this is because my now thirteen year old daughter seems to be wanting and longing for these same things!!!! Ahhhhhh! At the rate our world is progressing, kids are talking about and developing these complicated mature relationships as young as five to six years old and even sooner than that. Do they not get that THIS IS IT!? This is the only time in your life to be carefree! And to this I say to my daughters and son, just enjoy your childhood! You will be an adult for THE REST OF YOUR LIFE! You'll have plenty of time to worry about dating, marriage, children, careers, bills, money and everything else that adulthood brings! So just take a deep breath and SLOW DOWN! Our world is busy busy and getting busier. I often have to remind myself to slow down! And even though I find myself rushing here and there, I know that if I don't, life will just pass me by. We all have a choice to make in how we want our own lives to play out! I once had a bumper sticker on my car that read, "Slow Down, Look Around, and Enjoy God's Creation". Wanting to and actually making this a part of your life are two very different things, I know. All we can do for our youth is try to instill strong moral values and be honest about both good and bad choices that we have made in our own lives! We can help them by having open communication and have them know that all their feelings and emotions are completely valid and real, but that they have to learn to filter and organize them into appropriate ages of their lives. They need to be lead to start making their own decisions, but to make those decisions according to what they know and see would lead to them having a well thought out future. We've all heard it before, "History Repeats Itself". And while we hope we as parents can lead our kids in maybe a different direction than we took or than others have taken, there will always be the crushes, the dreamy fantasies. There will always be a longing for respect and yes even adulthood. The only thing I know is that I want my kids to know that they should never feel like they will be in trouble for having any of these feelings or dreams. They should always feel open in discussing any and all of what they're going through or experiencing. It's our job to lead this next generation on a path that we hope will lead to success, but also most importantly to build strong bonds of love and understanding as we do so!
To my dear sweet daughter I say.......
Love can wait! Enjoy your youth!
