Parenting is hard… I mean really HARD. And full time stay at home parents, we have it all times ten! We happily accept our lives filled with cold, soggy, melted, thrice nuked meals because we were too busy taking care of everyone else to get more than two bites of our own meal in. Yet we do it each day.
We sacrifice getting to shower everyday or even every other day, for one every three days. There’s just not enough hours in a day and sometimes we’re just too plain exhausted. We rarely get a full nights sleep…
Get time to ourselves, eat breakfast before 2pm, or sit back to enjoy a movie. We all have a sea of toys covering seemingly every surface in the house, dishes piled in the sink and a “laundry couch”. Regardless of what we do for a living, as a parent, we are all doctors, nurses who fix boo boo’s, chefs, tailors, ATM’s, beauticians, drill sergeants, cops, artists, judges, therapists and teachers. We’re responsible for raising respectful, loving, hard working, responsible individuals who will perhaps eventually use what they learned from mom and dad to teach and raise their own children… No pressure right?
Our lives are filled with doctors appointments, school events, back-talk, eye-rolling, snot, poopy diapers and puke. And parents, I know at one point or another the infamous poop in the bathtub has made it’s disgusting way into your life… Don’t even lie. Let’s also not forget the accidental injuries one can receive from a child; black eye, bloody lip, bruises, or the really fun impaled foot from stepping on a rogue toy! All things we gladly take on because we love our kids. Sacrifice and hard work is our labor of love.
I recently started serving foster/ adoptive families through FPNO (Foster Parents Night Out) and it really is incredible to get to know these amazing kids. My friend recently told me, “I think I get more from them than I could ever give back”. So true! I am so blessed by these kids, it just makes my day brighter being with them. That said, after spending real time studying these sweeties, watching behaviors, learning their quirks and personalities, it got me really thinking…
Have you ever thought about what other parents might be going through? They might be just as stressed, tired and totally spread thin as you, or worse. Many adoptive parents and foster parents have all this and so much more on their plates. They care for children who have endured so much trauma in their short lives. Yet these parents, give it their all… everything they have plus some, all while trying to break through the wall and reach the heart of a kiddo who doesn’t want anyone in.
This video is just a glimpse of life through the eyes of a foster/adoptive child.
If you know a foster or adoptive parent or heck, any parent… Tell them thank you for the job they do.
Growing people is hard work, and it can be a thankless job at times. I’ve been at that place… ready to throw in the towel. BUT, it is the BEST job… The most rewarding job.
We hold out for the moments of beauty, the quiet snuggles, little arms wrapped around your neck, a tiny voice saying ” I wub you” in your ear. Those are the moments that we thirst for, and they make all the bad days worth it.
The most beautiful experience of my life has been raising my children. And yes, I did say “job”, but that’s not really accurate. At a job you get a guaranteed lunch break. You get to go to the bathroom when you need to and without an audience. You get to punch out and be done with it till your next shift. Parenting is NOT a job, it’s a lifetime of being on call 24/7. Not because we have to be, but because they need us just as much as we need them. It’s an honor.
My mind goes to that saying I read somewhere once; “The decision to have a child, is to accept that your heart will forever walk about outside your body”. That quote is very true for most parents, wheather your kiddos share your DNA or not… They are your heart.
As a last note, if you suspect child abuse our neglect, or anything strikes you as odd about a situation involving a child, DO NOT HESITATE to report it! You can remain anonymous. The least that will happen is they will look into it… The worst thing that could happen is a child continuing to be abused or worse, die at the hands of their abusers because everyone turned a blind eye.
Heart Of The Young 