Goals

Three decades.  I realized the other day that I have had children over the span of three decades.  (1997, 1999, 2003, 2012.)  In that time many things have changed, some good, some not so good.  (DVRs = awesome.  My growing collection of silver hair = not so great.) The biggest change I've found in myself is my approach to raising my '90s children compared to the approach I take to raising the two born in this century.  It's most definitely evolved since my pre-baby days, when I thought mothers truly controlled the universe.  Little did I know...

My goals for raising kids before I became a mother:

• May I teach them to be responsible for their words, actions and belongings.
• May I teach them to be empathetic, strong, and kind.
• May they value people over things and experiences over accumulation.
• May they grow in faith, love, and charity.
• May they learn from sorrow and reach for happiness.

My goals for raising kids after 16+ years in the trenches:

• May I teach them to put away their backpacks, shoes, and dishes before my head explodes.
• May I teach them to stand up to bullies and know when to duck.
• May I teach them to respect themselves over celebrities and remember to breathe/wipe/brush/flush.
• May they grow in faith... because if they aren't praying to God that I don't lose my mind, they don't stand a chance.
• May they learn from my mistakes and find happiness after they make their own.

Good luck, kids.