Instructions Not Included

My baby girl just turned nine. So, I'm a year shy of the Decade of Parenting Milestone. This has me thinking about the job I've done so far. Overall, I'm comfortable with my efforts, though there's always room for improvement. I have more good days than bad, so I consider it a win.

Parents always talk about the fact that kiddos don't come with instructions; I'm not sure that's always a bad thing, however. If we all had the same parenting style, how would our kids turn out? I know I'm not raising my daughter the same way I was raised, and I'm guessing that if The Lord blesses her with children, her style will be different than mine. That's okay.

Every once in awhile, I have a moment when I truly feel like a mom. My last was Sunday morning, her birthday. She was still sleeping, and I looked at her, and looked at the clock, and realized that nine years and one hour earlier, I'd given birth to my Grace. I was so struck by the fact that I had given life to something so precious and wonderful, I was brought to tears. I have my flaws, believe me, but I take so much pride in being a mom. One of my favorite quotes is about having children being like sending your heart out into the world. That is so true. Every day, when I drop her off at school, I say a little prayer, asking God to watch out for my baby, because there is no better being than He to take care of her.

Some days, though, I just prefer to keep her with me. Yesterday was one of those times. She had gone to bed Sunday night with an upset tummy, and when I woke her for school, she said it was still bothering her. So, I let her stay home. I know she would've been fine going to school, she wasn't running a fever, coughing, vomiting, etc, but I kept her home all the same. Sometimes she just needs a personal day; I think we all do. So we stayed home and enjoyed our day. We played board games, watched The Wizard of Oz and New in Town (birthday gifts), made popcorn and Reese's milkshakes, and basically had a grand time. I call her my Cuddle Bug, and we made the most of our day, getting in lots of cuddling on the couch! And yes, if PH reads this, I'll probably get another speech about keeping kiddos in school, which I totally support, but it was worth it. I was talking to PH's wife today, and she agreed with me that kids just need a break every once in awhile, and that he needs to relax just a bit. All the same, I value her education, so I don't let this happen very often. Hopefully it'll work out alright; the manual doesn't say anything about personal days for kids...