Procrastination Nation

“Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. They are a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck.” Proverbs 1:8-9 NIV 

Parenting is hard work. Those cute little baby shampoo smelling bundles turn into complex human beings and helping them achieve the things God wants for them is never ending and oh so challenging. 

I have two incredible kids. Both are good looking and very smart with wisdom beyond their years. However, the one thing they sometimes struggle with as I also did is procrastination. Waiting to do the hard things until there is nothing left to do but get it done quickly. I always said I work well under pressure and so the last minute was when my best work came out but it also caused great stress. 

As I'm sure many of you know that is not the wise way to work. It doesn't leave any room for errors - like when the computer fails to send the paper correctly so it can't be turned in on time. It creates undo stress and anxiety when just tackling the hard stuff and getting it done early would be simpler. 

As a parent I want my kids to not face the struggles I have and I want them to excel at all they do. Sometimes it makes my heart hurt and I get frustrated when I can see things they could do better or different but I've learned they have to learn the hard lessons by themselves. 

I can't fix the world and I can't fix them. They have to learn the lessons of life and oftentimes the deepest learning has to come from the times they fall or fail. That is really hard for a mom to stand back and watch her people fall down without rushing in to pick them up and make it better. 

As both my kids are nearing stages where they will be branching even further out on their own I just keep praying they have learned how to stand and make decisions and be responsible on their own. But man is that scary. In my feeble mind I can see all the areas they may struggle and I just pray that God will help hold them up. My job now is just to let God do what He does best. Hold my kids and shape them into the people He wants them to be. And I can only do that on my knees. 

I will always just be a phone call away for my kids but God will always be closer. Parenting really is hard but it would be so much harder without God.