Out of the Mouths of Babes

My oldest son is about to turn ten years-old. Sometimes I can't believe this much time has passed. This is a sentiment echoed by parents around the world everyday. His childhood is more than half over. There is only a little time left to instill in him the morals and values that will carry him through life. Have I done enough to impact the person he will become in a positive way?

Today is not the first day I've had this thought. In fact, it's regularly on my mind. Amazingly, it happens on a regular basis that shortly after this thought, I have a moment with my son that gives me a glimmer of who he is and will become. Sometimes I wonder if it's him responding to my sentimentality or if it's God's way of setting my mind at ease. Perhaps it's a little of both.

Family time is an important part of every day and so is one-on-one time. Part of my quality time with Koen has always been snuggling at the end of the day. He loves this time as much as I do and looks forward to it every night. He makes it a priority and is always prepared for me. He climbs in his bed and clears stuffed animals from the other side of the bed so that I will have a place beside him. We use this time to talk about the day's events and reconnect our hearts and minds. We talk about what tomorrow will bring and how we can make it a good day. It's one of the most refreshing parts of my day.

On one such evening, we were talking about how someday I will go back to work. (This won't happen until the kids are no longer needing me on a daily basis.) Interestingly, Koen used to think I didn't work because I didn't know how to. Those were his words and boy did they shock me. We had an immediate discussion regarding Mama's previous work history. LOL We talked about the importance of each of the roles that Daddy and I play. I acknowledged how vital it is to provide for the family financially and how it is equally important to be available for the children. (Parents are too often not available for their kids, either physically, emotionally, or spiritually.) In our family, Daddy is the one who works and Mama is the one who is there minute-by-minute for the kids. Koen knows this is the specific choice Daddy and I made because we agreed it was important for our family. This is an over-simplification of our discussion, but that could encompass a whole book, and has.

Koen has long been a budding philosopher and routinely suggests solutions to the world's problems. The words that came out of his mouth on this night made me pause. He said, "I have an idea, Mama. Why can't each parent take turns every other day, going to work . . ." In my mind - the one that used to think of my husband's job as more important than my own because his earned money, I thought my son was saying how it would be great if each parent had an opportunity to go to work and make money to feel like an important, contributing part of the family. The words that followed from the mouth of this babe left me nearly speechless with a growing smile spreading across my face. Koen then said, ". . . that way each parent would get to have time with their kids." Does he have the right idea or what?

So many parents that stay home feel they are sacrificing something to stay home. According to my 9 year-old son, the ones who are sacrificing are the ones going to work and missing time with their kids! What a refreshing way of looking at it. Suddenly, I felt more blessed than ever before! To think that I ever bought into the notion that I was making a sacrifice by staying home with my kids is now incredibly ridiculous. The guilt behind not bringing any money into the household is years behind me now. This night was a reminder that I have the greatest job in the world . . . with dividends more important than any 401k . . . helping my children grow into the wonderful adults they will become. I'm seeing it everyday now and the payout is HUGE!