My "baby" boy...
Yesterday Kieren was home sick and he was sitting on my lap coloring. I was smothering him with kisses and hugs and loving it. Suddenly I started thinking about his future wife for some reason. I started thinking, man I hope I can love her like a daughter and let my baby boy go.
I don't have a relationship with my mother in law. It's sad but it's something I was made aware of before we got married, that it just wasn't going to be the "typical" mother in law/daughter in law relationship. However I know that an aspect of the tension that lies there is in the fact that she had to "let go" of her baby boy. That he would take the "side" of his wife and defend her in an argument and so on. As a mom I can see how that would be difficult but I pray that being aware of that and beginning to think about it now, when my baby is only 6 will prepare me for it. I want my future daughter in law to be welcomed, accepted and loved as our own. The same goes for Zoe of course and her future husband, but for some reason it's just different with Kieren. Maybe because he was our first, maybe because he is my boy...I don't know.
There are often times that I feel like Norm is the "favorite". Of course he's a boy, he loves his Dad...that is AWESOME. What I don't always realize though is that he does truly love me and want me, he just doesn't know how to express it. He'll get so angry with me and stomp off and then I later find out it's because he doesn't want me to go to work or he wants to stay home from school so he can be with me. I'm learning that he's harder to "read" that I thought and I really need to observe him more to understand why he does and says certain things. It's much easier for him to show his love to Norm for some reason but I think that's actually good, that he feels that love accepted and returned, not shunned like many fathers might do.
I learn so much from my kids...mainly to come to Christ like a child (as He called us in the first place)...without abandon, with innocence and complete trust. I can only hope that I teach them in return about the love and grace of our Lord...I have a long way to go.
I don't have a relationship with my mother in law. It's sad but it's something I was made aware of before we got married, that it just wasn't going to be the "typical" mother in law/daughter in law relationship. However I know that an aspect of the tension that lies there is in the fact that she had to "let go" of her baby boy. That he would take the "side" of his wife and defend her in an argument and so on. As a mom I can see how that would be difficult but I pray that being aware of that and beginning to think about it now, when my baby is only 6 will prepare me for it. I want my future daughter in law to be welcomed, accepted and loved as our own. The same goes for Zoe of course and her future husband, but for some reason it's just different with Kieren. Maybe because he was our first, maybe because he is my boy...I don't know.
There are often times that I feel like Norm is the "favorite". Of course he's a boy, he loves his Dad...that is AWESOME. What I don't always realize though is that he does truly love me and want me, he just doesn't know how to express it. He'll get so angry with me and stomp off and then I later find out it's because he doesn't want me to go to work or he wants to stay home from school so he can be with me. I'm learning that he's harder to "read" that I thought and I really need to observe him more to understand why he does and says certain things. It's much easier for him to show his love to Norm for some reason but I think that's actually good, that he feels that love accepted and returned, not shunned like many fathers might do.
I learn so much from my kids...mainly to come to Christ like a child (as He called us in the first place)...without abandon, with innocence and complete trust. I can only hope that I teach them in return about the love and grace of our Lord...I have a long way to go.
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