Part of the joy of being an "older model mom" who has already raised one family is that I have been blessed with the rare opportunity to look at how I wanted to parent differently the second time around. As with my first two children, I enjoyed seeing what they were gifted at and how God crafted them with certain abilities, talents, and interests.
However, during my second time at parenting, God impressed on me even more profoundly just how to view their passions and help them to find a way to grow up and not work to live, but to live through the work He has given them to do.
Every parent must make the choice to see their child through the eyes of our Creator. It's easy to view them through what we wish we had done or help them accomplish what we wish we did not. Yet, as a believer that God purposed each human for a specific reason and endowed them with certain abilities and dreams, I am excited to watch them grow, mature, and exhibit talents that lend clues to the future our Father desires for the precious children He has gifted to me to steward.
I remember that as a child I was most often excited to have a book or journal with me. Hours were spent reading, but even more time was used crafting poetry and stories in journals that held my deepest thoughts and fears, and exposed my hopes and dreams. Paper and pen brought out vulnerabilities my voice could not; the journal held secrets I dared not share. Now an an adult, I still gravitate toward the written word.
I believe childhood holds the key to an extraordinary life. When we watch our children at play, at rest, and notice the interests that excite them, we witness the seed to the passions created within. I believe it is our responsibility to observe and guide, to lead them in the way their heart desires they follow. They may only be a child once, but their childlike wonder does not have to end when adulthood arrives. Find what fuels and enable your child to live a life of joy that gives back to the One who knew what would bring a lifetime of joy.
- Terri, Co-Founder of Melane & Co.
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