While grocery shopping several years ago I noticed a cute four-year-old twirling like a ballerina in a store aisle. The child was so engrossed in her play she was completely unaware of others. Though she was not far from her mother, her mom urgently demanded, “Emily, get back here!”
I do not know what had gone on before that moment, but the mother’s exasperation did not seem to have been caused by Emily misbehaving, she was being neither mischievous nor bad. She was a normal four-year-old caught up in a world of imagination and play. Perhaps my observation about the mother sounds critical, but I know personally how parenting can be a challenge.
My children currently range from 19 to 35 and there have been numerous times when I fell far short of being the parent I wanted to be. Although I am usu-ally patient, there have been more times than I want to admit when I became frustrated with my children for simply being…well…children.
That Monday at the grocery store I tried to encourage the mother by offering her a smile. She said, “Sometimes I wonder if I will make it through this stage.” I assured her she would and then continued my shopping. Although I never saw them again I am sure she and her daughter made it through that stage and many more since.
Last Saturday I entered a new stage in my relationship with my daughter Cassie. She married Tony. I am happy and excited for them. My hope is that they will build a wonderful life together.