Mes Parents

Boy, do I love these folks. They are the bread to my butter, the chocolate to my strawberries. (Sorry - my pregnant brain can only conjure up food analogies.) I don't know what I would ever do without them.

Since Ben and I are on the cusp of becoming parents ourselves, I have been thinking a lot about what makes my parents so special, and what they did when my brother and I were growing up that I will definitely try to model for my kids. Here are just a few of the things that made (and still make!) my parents great:

1. They played with us. It didn't matter if they were tired, busy, or just plain didn't feel like it, they would play with us. My dad loved to wrestle us. And tickle. His tickles are paralyzing - don't ever get caught being tickled by him, I'm telling you. Instant paralysis. My mom would play games, or she would let us mix up a bunch of stuff and make a giant mess in the kitchen. When I would play "teacher" in the basement (which was like, every day), I would walk my "class" upstairs to the "lunch lady" (my mom), and "drop them off". She took good care of them, too - wouldn't you know they were all done with their lunch and lined up when I came back to get them? Amazing, I tell you.

2. They taught us to love music. In the car, at church, in the basement on the top-of-the-line stereo that my Dad could never live without, in the kitchen,
etc. etc. etc. Some of my favorite Saturday morning memories involve waking up and going into the kitchen where my mom was either cleaning or making something, and she would always have the radio on, playing some sweet '70's or '80's adult contemporary hits. I still hear some of those songs and am instantly transported back to that yellow kitchen with the sweet green carpeting. Music was everywhere, always. I can't WAIT to share this with my kids.

3. They didn't spoil us. They loved us, and they helped us, but they didn't clean up our life messes for us. What a valuable lesson....if we stumbled, they were there for us, but we were on our own to get back up and dust ourselves off. Enter the wide world of Problem-Solving, which I am well-equipped and thankful for, due to Loren and Linda's School of Tough Love.

4. They taught us about God. This should have been #1 on my list! I hope it is #1 in our house. We practically LIVED at church growing up, singing praise songs, going to Sunday School, taking youth group trips when we were older, going to missions classes, and so much more. My foundation of faith started at the very beginning, and for this I am most thankful. The best gift I can give to L.B. will be the knowledge of Jesus's power, grace, and love. When I think about where the blessing of new life comes from, both for me and for my child, I fall to my knees and give thanks to the Giver of all good things (and my parents, for opening the door)!!!

5. They made growing up FUN. We may not have jet-setted off to exotic locations, or spent lots of nights in fancy hotels eating expensive meals, but dang, we had a great childhood! Like I mentioned earlier, we played the BEST games, and we took the BEST trips, even if they were to all of the state parks of Missouri in our pop-up camper. No matter what, we made the BEST memories. When I think about making life special as a parent, I will remember that it's the LITTLE things that mean the most, and being together and sharing experiences with joy and love is what really matters.

6. They were affectionate in front of us. Ben and I never wonder why loving each other is so stinkin' easy - we had the best parent models to show us how! I always pretended to be grossed out when my parents would kiss each other or smack each other on the butt, but now I love that they were like that in front of us. I KNEW that they loved each other, because I saw them show it every day. It wasn't a mystery to me what a happy, healthy couple looked like. And now, it's certainly not a mystery how to BE one part of a happy, healthy couple! I'm sure our kids will holler and stick their tongues out and hide their eyes when Ben and I kiss and hug in front of them, but later, they'll be grateful for the exposure. :-)

7. They let us be who we WERE. Yes, they pushed us to do and be our best, but they never forced us into anything that we didn't want to do or be. We were supported and guided to be successful with a safety net of love. Because of this, my brother and I both have successful careers that we enjoy greatly. Mine involves getting paid to sing and dance and play games all day, and his involves getting paid to sit in a recliner and watch movies and play video games. Oh, and save lives. :-) Not bad for two middle-class kids from the 'burbs!

This list could go on and on, but I wanted to put into words some really great things I hope to pass on to this little nugget in my belly, and any future nuggets to come. Thanks, Mom and Dad, for who you are and what you did for us.

May the singing, dancing, playing, supporting, loving, laughing, praising, and God-honoring be carried from your house to ours!

HOLLA -