The Hand That Rocks The Cradle

As I walked through my laundry room not long ago I saw two pairs of pink Crocs sitting by the back door.  One belonged to my daughter, Amanda, and the other to her youngest daughter, Evangeline.  There they were, a picture of exactly what was happening day in and day out…little feet were following in the footsteps of the bigger ones and Evangeline was actually, in so many ways, becoming a mini version of her mommy. Whether it is intentional or not, who and what we are greatly influences the children in our lives.  What we do and how we act speaks so much louder than just the words we say.  As I watch my grandchildren growing up, I am more aware than I ever was when my daughters were little, that their mommies are a huge influence on them, and how they think and who they are becoming.  Yes of course they are individuals, unique and different from anyone else, but the similarities in those developing personalities is unmistakable.  What a responsibilty parenthood is!

Mommys and Daddys need all the love and encouragement they can get to do this all important job that has been entrusted to them, of raising another good and kind human being.  So be patient with the frazzled mother in the market with the screaming child, or the frustrated father at the carwash with a little one that is melting down.  They need our grace and patience so they have that to pass on to those little ones whose lives they are shaping. They don’t need our dirty looks or criticisms.

All of this made me think of that famous poem Children Learn What They Live:

Be a blessing to the children in your life, neighbor children, friend’s children, nieces and nephews, grandchildren of course.  And if you don’t like the way the world seems to be going, be a blessing to their parents….they need it as much and as often as they can get it, in an often critical and intolerant world that has little time for the imperfections of children.   It is all too true that “the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.”  Those parents are shaping the world of our future as they shape the lives of their little ones.

Be kind, be loving, be joyful, and show everyone you meet what abundant living looks like 🙂