I wish I had a quarter for every time I heard while growing up, “just wait until you have kids and then you’ll understand.” If I had all that money, I’d be able to hire a nanny! Raising children is an awesome responsibility and an incredibly eye-opening job. I think of things much differently now that I have my own kids. All the while, I continue to realize my parents weren’t as crazy as I thought they were at the time (although, watching them with grandkids, they have become people I never knew growing up).

I am blessed to be able to drive the kids to school almost every morning. It’s a short ride but often entertaining and/or enlightening. Sometimes I can get a glimpse into their world, their thoughts, their worries, their joy. It’s those brief moments that I love and I am thankful I have them.

Last night at a basketball game, I listened to some young men sitting behind us talking and it seemed they found it hard to go more than two or three words without adding a cussword. I wondered if that’s the way they talk at work or around their parents. I wondered if they ever thought about what they were saying. I wondered how they would change or if they would as they grow and mature. I wondered what my kids will do when they are on their own, away from mom and dad.

No parents are perfect and I certainly make my fair share of mistakes with my kids but I know their mother and I are trying to train them for the world that awaits them. I know they will do some things they shouldn’t but I hope we will do our part to give them all they need to make the better choice.

Children are precious jewels. If you are a parent, you understand. If not, “just wait until you have kids…”