My Child

At the moment in my life I find it all very interesting.  My younger kids, 9 of them at home, are all going along without too many hicups considering the varying and diverse disorders, quirks, backgrounds etc that we deal with.  At the moment the focus seems to be on the older children, or at least a couple of them.  May I remind those with young children, that no, you don't get rid of them at 18 when they go to "college" and they are still around, if you are VERY lucky, when they either graduate, find their niche in life without college, get married and begin families of their own.

I am one of the VERY LUCKY ones who has all of my children, older and younger, and grandchildren, born, and in the womb, a part of my daily life.  I get to be part of the morning sickness, the funny stories about the unusually talented grandchildren, the shoulder to lean on when things are tough, like the new house is not going to happen, the old house is upside down in the mortgage and what do we do with that, the struggles of the working mom with young children and daycare and the tears spent about all of that.

I was fortunate to birth four children, with difficulty, but even more fortunate to be able to adopt and nurture so many other children that will always be in my heart.  Children never leave, even if they are with you a little while, and the longer you have them the longer they stay.  Some of you will remember CeCe, my oldest Liberian child, who, because of circumstance, could not follow my advice, but had to follow her African survival instincts and know she would MAKE life happen for her.  I am so glad, that despite my wanting her to follow the ways I set down, and the mistakes she has made, we are still Mum and daughter.  She still wants me in her life, to talk, to advise, to just be Mum.  She is now a Mum, a very young one, with no-one else to turn to.  I am thankful that God softened my heart, to see around the foolishness bound up in the heart of a child, to still accept and love her regardless of the disagreements we have had.

I have never just accepted all of my children's choices but questioned, prayed and hoped all would be fine.  Most of it has worked just fine, despite my inner fears, but some of it hasn't and I have had to be the one to swallow any judgement I may have had, and be Mum, just Mum.  For if you aren't, they will turn away from everything you have taught them through all of the years, the many years, that you have nurtured, loved, encouraged, and have just been there to listen.  I believe the Lord said "Train a child in the way that it should go" but that is not a few years, it is a lifetime.   Because, even now, my child is still my child, even if she is nearly 40 years old.  She is still my child.