Have you ever wondered what true love from a parent to a child looks like?
We don’t really think about it, do we? We just go on with our daily life of fixing meals, washing clothes, putting away toys, being a taxi, cleaning messes, and healing skinned knees and bruised feelings.
TRUE love from a parent to a child looks a lot different than one would first think. It’s not about the number of gifts we give to our kids, the amount of money we spend on our kids, or the number of surprises we give to our kids.
TRUE love from a parent to a child is more raw, beautiful, natural, overwhelming (at times), and real than we would ever think. It’s about sacrifice, love, support, tough-love, and hope.
With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, I wanted to share what TRUE love from a parent to a child looks like. Here is my ode:
- A parent’s true love consists of waking up at wee hours in the morning to change a dirty diaper, feed a hungry baby, or console a crying infant.
- A parent’s true love consists of spending nights staring at the ceiling while lying in bed wondering if we are doing this parenting thing right.
- A parent’s true love consists of driving kids to doctor appointments and therapy appointments because we want what’s best for our children.
- A parent’s true love consists of withholding that piece of candy (even though it’s hard!) because we are standing our ground with our toddler.
- A parent’s true love consists of sticking with potty training even though we’re tired of cleaning up potty messes.
- A parent’s true love consists of monitoring our children’s technology access even though it’s the “uncool” thing to do.
- A parent’s true love consists of laying ground rules for curfews, friends, and crushes, even though our kids hate it.
- A parent’s true love consists of assigning chores because it teaches our children very valuable lessons.
- A parent’s true love consists of reading to our young children to help their language develop.
- A parent’s true love consists of getting down on the floor to play with our children so they can learn how to play appropriately.
- A parent’s true love consists of spending extra money on music lessons so our children have another skill.
- A parent’s true love consists of bearing the cries, screams, and yells when we embark on sleep training.
- A parent’s true love consists of maintaining structure and routine to help our little ones function throughout the day.
- A parent’s true love consists of teaching the valuable lesson of fairness.
- A parent’s true love consists of backing the teacher when our child has done something wrong.
- A parent’s true love consists of NOT providing a reward when our child hasn’t earned it.
- A parent’s true love consists of quizzing our children on their spelling words to help them pass their test.
- A parent’s true love consists of praising our children for the good and seemingly mundane things they do.
- A parent’s true love consists of pushing our children to try and do new things even though they are shy or timid.
- A parent’s true love consists of enduring the stares, glares, and comments, when our screaming toddler throws a major fit in public.
At first glance, this list of what TRUE love looks like seems mediocre at best. There’s nothing spectacular, jaw-dropping, amazing, or shocking in this list. But I think that’s the point, isn’t it?
Parenting is raw. Parenting is beautiful. Parenting is messy, and sometimes overwhelming.
Sometimes we cry. Sometimes we laugh. Sometimes we stand in amazement and awe and wonder.
It’s so easy for us to take for granted the things that we do every single day, day in and day out. It’s easy for us to get caught up in the moment and to forget the true gift that we are to our children. Sure, we have moments of embarrassment, frustration, fear, anxiety, and exhaustion, but we forget that our love for our children is attached to those feelings.
So on this Valentine’s Day, celebrate yourself. Celebrate your parenting. Celebrate you being a gift to your children…. because mama, you deserve it!
