The Class of 2011 & "I Do."

It is a year of milestones in the life of my family --- once in a lifetime events!  My husband and I both reached a certain birthday (and trust me, we'd already been traveling our over the hill journey!).  We celebrated our 20th & 30th work anniversaries and are looking forward to our 30th wedding anniversary in July.  Our son turned 18 and is  graduating from high school; 2 weeks later our daughter will be getting married.  Mixed among these happy events was the celebration of my Mom's life as she passed into Heaven.  We are blessed and appreciating this time  ... both the fun and the not so fun.

Grant it, those are all lifetime milestones, yet I am reminded that our children face milestones frequently throughout their young lives.  Our role as parents is to help guide our children through these times and prepare them and ourselves for what to expect and how to respond at these junctures.  Think through milestones your child will have to cross.  Perhaps it is the first time they spend the night away from you, or the first day of kindergarten or pre-k.  It may be that for the first time, they have another authority figure in their life besides mom and dad.  Your preteen may be making the jump from elementary schooling to the middle school format.  Perhaps they are encouraged for the first time to be dishonest or do something they have not been allowed to do.  It may be that their friends are talking in a way that is not appropriate.  It could be that someone has shed doubt on the truths you have taught your chidlren.  They may be faced with a temptation. They may have to share mom and dad with a new sibling.   The list could keep growing.

My husband has always told our children to "DECIDE before you HAVE to decide."  Talk to your children about what to do when they are faced with a temptation to do something they should not.  Assure them it is okay to talk with you if they hear something contrary to what you have told them at home and it makes sense to them.   Help them to know in advance that a lie can often seem like the best choice, but it is not.

 For the most part, children like routine, especially young children. Prepare your children the best you can for times when the schedule may vary and everyone needs to make adjustments. This could be as frequent as every Sunday morning! Anticipate emotions that may display themselves when your child's life is out of kilter. Watch your own response to change!

Understand as a parent, that our children will not always live within our walls.  There comes a time they will have to stand on their own two feet.  Part of maturing is becoming a thinker and decision maker. Realize that your children will begin to form their own opinions, make their own decisions, and  process life on their own.  As parents, we know the world can be a scary, ugly place at times and our desire to protect our children from knowing that may cripple us from preparing them to handle what life has for us.