The beauty of young families

Source: digital-photography-school.com via Michelle on Pinterest 

Last weekend I saw about 3 sets of beautiful young families.  When I say young families I mean parents who are in their 20s with little ones in strollers.  There is something so sweet about them.  The parents are so young themselves and they seem happy and energetic.  They seem undaunted by the great undertaking of raising a family.  They have not yet gone through the stormy teenage years and beyond.  I know that I am romanticizing here.  That’s ok.  I know these two young parents are tired and scared.  But what I saw last weekend was a glimpse of joy and fun and being untethered.

Related articles

• Beautiful family blogs | Sainsbury’s Money Matters (sainsburysbank.co.uk)
• Young House Love: The Book (apartmenttherapy.com)

Warm Woolen Mittens and Other Attachments

 

 

 

When my son was little he needed these.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: tangledness.com via Joy on Pinterest

 

Now that he’s 21, he needs this.  🙂

Source: sofferaristore.com via Soffer on Pinterest

Bake at 350 for 21 Years

Raising a child is a bit like baking a cake.  You pre-heat the oven.  Gather your ingredients.  Mix, fold, combine.  Pour your batter into the pan with love, and place it into the oven to bake.  You keep watching it as it bakes.  You periodically check it with your fingertips or a toothpick.  All cakes and ovens are different so it’s not an exact science figuring out when your cake is done.  You don’t want to overbake or underbake it.

My son is 21 years old today.  He’s not quite fully baked yet.  There’s still a little batter on the toothpick.  Fully baked is when a child is ready to stand out on his own and take care of himself.  My son still lives with us.  He is working but can’t support himself financially yet.  I am working to help him get to the point where he is self-sufficient.

It’s not that I don’t want him with me forever.  I do.  But then again I don’t.  Because I know that his becoming a man is a natural progression and I don’t want to stand in the way of that.  Also, I won’t be here forever and when it is my time to die, I want him to be ready to stand alone.

So he’s got a few more years.  That’s ok.  I’ve got plenty of toothpicks.

Related articles

• Motherhood blessings (spreadinformation.wordpress.com)