To spear them from having future regrets

Every stage of parenting comes with new and different challenges. For me, the most fun years were when my children were infants. It is true that, at this stage, I had countless sleepless nights, but this was the stage when they least exerted their self will. The toddler years were a little frustrating because they could not effectively communicate and displayed their frustrating by throwing tantrums. The school age years were exceptionally busy because they were learning and discovering new things and I had to be there to help them follow through on tasks. The teen years are proving to be the most challenging. My teenagers do not always effectively communicate, and the most noteworthy thing, in their life, seems to be interacting with their peers. While they all have goals, and things they are working on. The majority of their energy seems to be about having friends and being with their friends to the point where I believe other areas of their life is being neglected.

Not wanting to be totally controlling or an unbearable parent, I took a stroll down memory lane. Not to recapture what I lost but to try to identify with where my children are. I must say that my memory must be flawed because I cannot relate. I also know that my environment was different, also the circumstances surrounding my life. I remembered a girl who focused more on task than on friends. This is not to say that I want my children to be replicas of me. All I want is for them to be able to accomplish their goals. As focused as, I was I did not accomplish mine, but I did not have the kind of support my children do.

My goal in life was not to accumulate material things or wealth. From an unusually young age, it was my desire to become a humanitarian. I have met many woman who also relayed to me that what they became in life was not what they also intended to do. I guess many can identify with that, but I have not met anyone who has ever expressed how this affected them. I consider having not met this particular goal, my greatest lost in life. I still sometimes grieve over this. Although, I have done quite a bit of humanitarian acts, it was not enough to satisfy my longing. As I watch my children I may not be able to identify with their behavior, but I do not want for us to have, not achieving what we set our hearts on, as a commonality. I also know that I can only guide them and that the choice ultimately lies in their hands.

Below is a photo of my last mission trip with Benevolent Missions International.

Benevolent Missions is a Houston based non-profit, publicly supported organization. Their purpose is to provide free medical and eye surgery in developing nations. In the past 37years over 1500 medical and lay volunteers have served in 125 medical mission trips, delivering care to more than 60,000 patients in Latin America and the South Pacific. Please visit http://www.eyemissions.com/ for more information on BMI.