Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Early Lessons In Parenting

When asked if I was ready to be a mom before we brought Ava home I would often say something like, "I can't wait to have my little girl home, but the parenting stuff I guess we'll figure out as we go."  I mean how do you prepare for parenting before having kids?  In a sense, I definitely think that Matt and I are learning as we go and praying that we are not messing up too badly!  Parenting is very different from what I thought it would be.  It is truly the most challenging job that I have ever loved.  It is not like  being an aunt or babysitter where you can play and have tons of fun AND then give them back to their parents when you need a break or when they start to fuss!!  LOL!  Now we are the parents who get to enjoy the fun part but we are also the ones who work with Ava to get through the more difficult times and are hopefully traversing these times appropriately and with grace.  I always thought I was a patient person, but being a parent has taught me that I need to pray for extra patience every day.  I love Ava so much, but boy does she know how to test my patience already.  I have learned over the last couple of months that: All kids have tantrums and fuss.  This is not a personal attack from Ava on us.  Since  I have learned (or maybe am still learning) not to take her tantrum sessions so personally it's easier to have a patient, loving approach towards Ava during these times.  Sometimes her tantrums are due to the fact that she is a normal toddler testing her boundaries and sometimes due to the communication gap that we are all working through as a family.  She is learning quickly how to communicate with us and we have learned a lot about what words/signals mean so that we can understand what she is wanting.  But I have to remind myself of where Ava came from and that she hasn't even been with us for 2 months yet!!  She meshes so well with us that it seems like she's been a part of our family forever and sometimes I have to remind myself of what our beautiful little girl had to endure prior to us.      

Being a parent is teaching me a lot about what true love is~what unconditional love is.  I love this joyful, courageous, beautiful~inside and out~ girl with all my heart.  Even though she sometimes tests my patience, she is making me a better person for it and she is a huge blessing from above.  Thank you Lord for our baby girl!!

Being a parent has made me even more thankful for the amazing example my parents and Matt's parents have set for us.  We have learned so much from their guidance and example.  We love you guys so much!!

I can't wait to uncover what God has yet to unveil to us regarding parenting lessons and loving our daughter.  Parenting is absolutely the adventure of a lifetime!!

2 comments:

  1. "Truly the most challenging job that I have ever loved"

    Spot on! You guys are awesome! Love seeing how far that she has come in just 2 months. If you haven't already, check out the Connected Child. Its really a great book and helped us to see adoption through K's eyes :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. "Being a parent has made me even more thankful for the amazing example my parents and Matt's parents have set for us." This is the reason why I do my best everyday to become a better person. I want my kids to be better parents someday and that's why I'm doing my best to be a good example for them. Thank you for this very good post! I really enjoyed reading it. :)

    ReplyDelete