To All Who are Parents...

My youngest and last child left for college this week. I'm never quite ready for how quickly they grow up and go.

Four children. Four times to walk away leaving a child on his/her own at school. Four times to cry like a baby from their dorm to my car (me, not them). Four times to panic as we drive away, "Did I teach him how to sew on a button? Does she know to lock her car when she drives? Can he get medicine from the pharmacy if he's sick? What else will she need that I have forgotten to teach?"

Deep breath. Focus. Release. Some things they know. Some things they'll learn. Some things they will come home and teach to me. Such is the way of life.

And yet today, I'm pondering: If I could go back and start all over again … if I had my children at home with me once more … this time really understanding how quickly they will be grown and gone … this time thinking of the ending as I stand at the beginning … How would I parent? What would I teach? What do my children really need to know as I drive away from their college dorm?

"Things to Think of in the Beginning" 

I want my children…

1. To have a personal, active, growing relationship with Christ.

2. To know that they are dearly loved by family.

3. To know that they are capable of doing some things well.

4. To be able to try and fail and still be glad they tried.

5. To have an awareness of the world beyond their own personal circle.

6. To work hard and to bear responsibility for the work they do.

7. To make their own decisions and speak with their own voice.

8. To view themselves as a persons of worth.

9. To view other people as persons of worth, too.

10. To practice ways to make the world a better place.

If that's where I hoped we would end, how then should one begin? In what ways might we begin even now? Something to think about as we travel down the road…