Raising an Adult
i was 37 weeks pregnant. I was naked. I was wet. I was sitting on the edge of the bath. My once perky breasts were resting on top of my huge belly and I was in tears. This is how my husband had found me. {Bless his heart!}
i don’t know exactly what it was. Maybe it was the pregnancy hormones. Maybe it was the realisation that my life was never going to be the same again. But in that moment, getting out of the bath the enormity of the responsibility of parenthood had hit me. I was so afraid that I would not be a good-enough mom to my son. That I would not be the kind of mother he deserved…
six years and two wildlings down the line, I realise more and more that I am “raising adults” – I am not merely raising children. I am raising someone who will have to be able to function as an adult in this world. I am raising someone’s husband. I am raising someone’s wife. I am raising someone’s parent. And darn it – I am committed to doing a damn good job at it {even if it kills me – if often feels that way – lol}!
if there is one thing in my short “toddler-party-cake-baking career” that I have learned it is this: follow. the. recipe. If you follow the recipe, the chances of an edible cake is just that much higher. It has been tried. It has been tested. Trust it. So what is the recipe to life? What is the recipe for raising an adult?
i think Chris Pratt summed it up best on acceptance of his MTV “Generation Award Winner” title. He had the following to say:
1. “Breathe. If you don’t, you will suffocate.”
2. “You have a soul. Be careful with it.”
3. “Don’t be a turd. If you are strong, be a protector. If you are smart, be a humble influencer. Strength and intelligence can be weapons, so do not wield them against the weak. That makes you a bully. Be bigger than that.”
4. “When giving a dog medicine, put the medicine in a little piece of hamburger and they won’t even know they’re eating medicine.”
5. “It doesn’t matter what it is. Earn it. A good deed. Reach out to someone in pain. Be of service. It feels good and it’s good for your soul.”
6. “God is real. God loves you, God wants the best for you. Believe that, I do.”
7.”If you have to poop at a party, but you’re embarrassed because you’re going to stink up the bathroom, just do what I do. Lock the door, sit down, get all of the pee out first. And then, once all the pee is done, poop, flush, boom! You minimize the amount of time that the poop’s touching the air. Because if you poop first, it takes you longer to pee and then you’re peeing on top of it, stirring up the poop particles, create a cloud, goes out, then everyone at the party will know that you pooped. Just trust me, it’s science.”
8. “Learn to pray. It’s easy, and it is so good for your soul.”
9. “Nobody is perfect. People will tell you that you are perfect just the way that you are, you’re not! You’re imperfect. You always will be, but there is a powerful force that designed you that way, and if you are willing to accept that, you will have grace. And grace is a gift. Like the freedom that we enjoy in this country, that grace was paid for with somebody else’s blood. Do not forget it. Don’t take it for granted.”
“God bless you.”
listening to Chris Pratt, I realised that that is what I wanted my children to learn. I want them to breathe. 🙂 I want them to be careful with their souls. I want them to choose kindness. I want them to find clever, creative ways to solve problems. I want them to learn how to work hard. I want them to have a relationship with God. I want them to know where their power lies. I don’t want them pooping at parties. 🙂 And I want them to share grace abundantly. I believe this to be a successful recipe in raising an adult. Yes – there are many other successful recipes – but I think this is the one I want my children to learn.
if you had to give your child a recipe to live by – what would it be?
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