Parenting on Purpose

Ok...Easter break has just ended. Back to reality. My children had from Good Friday off until the Sunday after Easter. I am glad to be back to "normal" or as close to it as I could possibly get. One thing that came to mind recently is, am I parenting on purpose? What exactly does that mean? Well, this is what I mean. Did you chose to become a parent or did the fact that you now have children kind of surprise you? In my case, it was a very conscious thing. All three of my children were "tried for" and I grieve because I would love to have more but due to an auto accident, I am not able to. Ok....think about this in your own circumstance. Whether your child/children were planned for or came unexpectedly....are you parenting them on purpose. How about WITH purpose? Does your day just go by and then the next day just goes by? Do you enjoy your children? Are you savoring the moments you have with them or just getting through them? Are you enjoying the current stage they are in or are you looking ahead to the next stage? I think these are really important questions that each mom needs to ask herself. How about this....have you realized that children have to be taught EVERYTHING!! I mean everything. They don't just automatically have manners. They don't automatically know that eating junk food is bad for you. They don't just brush their teeth each morning and evening even though you have asked them to 1,000 times. They don't just know that they should be respectful of their parents. They don't just know that it is time for bed. They don't just know how to answer the telephone properly. When my son gets all snotty and rude, I must correct him. EACH TIME!! When my daughters get snotty and disrespectful, I must correct them. EACH TIME. Our children need us to guide them each day....often regarding the same things we have guided them about time and time again. I realizes that some people might say, duh....I know this. But do we? Do we really know this and live this with our children? We are their whole world for such a short time. It is during this short time that we must teach them so many things. What an important job we have as mom's. Each day I need to parent them on purpose. On purpose, with intent, with meaning, with a point. The time will soon be here when they will not need me much. I want to love them, teach them, guide them...did I mention love them, while I have them. The days with my kids are not just days to be "gotten through". Keeping this frame of mind is hard at times. Ok...often, it is hard to keep this frame of mind. Especially when you have been up all night with them or they make you want to pull your hair out for any number of reasons. I would like to encourage my fellow mom's to keep at it. Love those babies, TEACH them, guide them and bring them up in the way they should go and rest assure...when they are old they will not stray from it!! ( that last part was from Proverbs! = 0 ))