This was the statement made on a late night television show last night. On a regular basis the media throws at us expectations of what a *good* parent is. What we should teach our kids, how we should treat them, and, sometimes unknowingly, this is how we set our own expectations of being a parent. The statement above made me think, I have never taken my kids to Paris, England, or Germany. We have never been as far as Florida before as a family. If we look at the statement above, I don't even make the grade on the parent scale. According to the media's viewpoint.
But, is that where I set my personal standards from?
No, I don't.
I set my expectations of being a parent on the type of parents I had. As a child, I had never been to Florida, or California. Our *big* vacations were to go to Cedar Point once a year. And, that was only for a day. In my own childhood I was blessed to have parents who provided me with things I needed. Food, shelter, enough toys to stay busy, but most important, they provided me with love. My mother also gave me the love of crafting. Probably the first craft was latch hooking. This led to cross stitching and eventually, knitting and sewing. My father gave me the love of being outdoors, of camping, and of fishing. These are all skills I still use on a daily basis to keep my family warm, to provide decorations in the house and food for my family. Actually, this last part falls to my husband to be the provider for hunting and fishing, but I love to go with him!
If we reflect for a minute on the topic header, my parents failed. But, did they really? Children who see the
world are well traveled, probably speak more than a few languages and have plenty of pictures to show places they have been. I have pictures of the "big one" that I caught fishing with my dad, I have a picture of my first latch hook and in the picture is my mother and I. My parents gave me the skills to be able to live the way God intended us to live, live simply in the real world. I don't require the best or the nicest car. I just want what I need to live. Really, when you think about it, in the end, that is all we really need.
I don't know from personal experience, but I would be willing to bet in my later years, the picture of the fish is much more special to me that a picture of the biggest momument in the world.
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