We were watching the Olympics last night, and I started wondering about the Olympians' parents. They couldn't have known that their kids were going to be world-class competitors in their sports. Man, the mogul is intense. If my one time skiing is any indicator, I would have wiped out at the first little hill, but those women just haul it through the obstacle course, doing their gravity-defying flips.
The mother of Hannah Kearney, the American who won gold in Women's Mogul, said her daughter has always been very deliberate and self-motivated. She lined up her toys before she could talk, in perfect order. When the girl was 17, she invested her prize money in an IRA account. Her brother plays hockey for YALE. Talk about a breed of exceptional people.
It's just that I think of this little mango of a person as the infant it will be--my baby. But they grow up to be their own people, and will that person have any connection to the person I am and accomplishments I have? When I think about it, I want so much more for the kid than myself. Brandon said that kids are defined by their parents' limitations--at least, that he has found that true in his own life. And kids, when they get to be a certain age, are so acute at picking up their parents' weaknesses. So, human though we are, how can we give the best to our kid, and give him/her the chance to be the great at something if he/she has the talent? And will I be willing to invest in the kid's interest even if it has never interested me before in my life? I think back to Hannah in the Bible, who offered her son to serve the Lord. God who knits the tiny life knows better what will fulfill him and give his life purpose. So I want to be conscious of my stewardship as a parent--to be the most loving training wheels.
We celebrated Valentine's Day and looked through our wedding/anniversary scrapbook. We have a good marriage. That's one gift we can give our child: the security of its parents' love for each other.
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