Monday, February 24, 2014
What inspires us as parents?
Occasionally, we meet parents who inspire us. For example, a parent may manage to stay remarkably calm in moments of utter stress or even danger. Or they may have a special routine for how to manage with living a more balanced life. They may simply have an aura of coolness, which reminds us that we can age with style and in our own way, even with a snotty, screaming toddler on our side and chaos in our homes. There are of course parents - or situations - which cause us to raise our eyebrows or roll our eyes. But I'd love to hear about the prior here. Describe a few moments or situations, or issues you've encountered, that inspired you as a parent.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
This is a good question but I'm finding it difficult to answer! I've been thinking about this for several days now and I can't find a simple answer or a single example. Many parents inspire me, and they inspire me in a great number of ways. So let's try to break this down...
ReplyDeleteCalmness amidst stress or danger:
Here a couple of my heroes are a mother and father of two boys who not only managed to stay calm and resourceful in a shocking car crash but managed to help our family as well. We are friends, former colleagues, and together we're crash survivors. We'd been traveling together and the hired driver fell asleep, or at least he didn't react in time, not even to my shout of warning. While all 9 of us were still stuck inside the van, I told the other family that I am so glad they are there, that if we have to go through this at least we can go through it together. I felt strongly that the wife saved my older son's life, and I told her so. He'd slipped off his booster seat and under his seatbelt, hit the back of the front seat, and flown straight into her arms. She was cradling him when we opened our eyes.
Special routines:
I know children need routines but I'm not too keen on strictly enforced routines. One parent I admire is a single mom of three who is a specialist in childcare but always manages to do all kinds of creative and spontaneous things with her kids and grandkids. She has a routine of breaking the routine! I truly admire her for that. Everyday is a small adventure wherever she is. If it's a solemn Christmas dinner, she'll bring a fresh gust of festivity in by suggesting a puppet show done with and for the kids. If it's a lazy Saturday, she'll suggest a surprise visit to friends or relatives in another, not-too-far part of the country. She is always busy but at the same time she always makes time for people. She can be counted on for stepping out of the box and making kids - and adults - feel special and loved.
Aura of coolness:
One of my three sisters-in-law seems to be the ultimate multitasker. She's married, raising 3 kids, and still manages a big house and a long list of activities, not the least of which is work (off and on, though). All this - with no help except from her career-building husband - and all this she manages with a contagious smile and a hospitable heart. And she finds time to dream of future goals and goes out to make them happen - now in America! Still, wherever she is, she looks busy but happy, never neglecting her family or even herself (which, by the way, is a typical outcome for moms). Her daughters are bubbly and happy, beautifully dressed. Her house is ever-so-stylish and usually there's a big home improvement project in the making, to make their home even more stylish. And dinner's at their place are a feast! All this with coolness. May it rub off on this frantic hostess named your's truly...
Here are a few of my favorite parents!