Becoming a parent -- when it's done right -- is giving birth to your own little "club." Everybody wants to belong, to be a part of something special. And in creating a family, we do just that.
When a couple produce a child, the first thought is about how incredibly miraculous it is....to create a human being within one's own body, as the joining of two people through love!
The second thought usually is, "Dear God, can I survive?" The sleepless nights, the poopy diapers, the constant demand for attention 24/7. But all this stress stretches us and makes us grow, in the same way that a fruit tree becomes more fruitful when it's pruned. We become adults by laying aside our own ambitions and desires for the well-being of this small, helpless person we've been blessed with. Growing up means accepting responsibility.
Very shortly we have bonded with that child in a way we have never bonded with anything or anyone ever before. We would lay down our life -- in a New York minute -- to save the life of our child. Not even think about it. And that depth of love in us is like rich soil that grows a strong, healthy plant. It covers and protects and gives that little human being the confidence to grow up into an adult, like -- but not identical -- to the parents.
And so our club grows. With each child added, the dynamic of the family changes. Hearts are knit together. The family becomes its own private club, complete with code words, secret handshakes, inside jokes, and rules unique to the association.
Not many people nowadays enjoy membership in such an association. A lot of people are unwilling to fork out the membership dues. And that's the unique characteristic of the club that is a family. Membership is free....but it costs you everything.
When a couple produce a child, the first thought is about how incredibly miraculous it is....to create a human being within one's own body, as the joining of two people through love!
The second thought usually is, "Dear God, can I survive?" The sleepless nights, the poopy diapers, the constant demand for attention 24/7. But all this stress stretches us and makes us grow, in the same way that a fruit tree becomes more fruitful when it's pruned. We become adults by laying aside our own ambitions and desires for the well-being of this small, helpless person we've been blessed with. Growing up means accepting responsibility.
Very shortly we have bonded with that child in a way we have never bonded with anything or anyone ever before. We would lay down our life -- in a New York minute -- to save the life of our child. Not even think about it. And that depth of love in us is like rich soil that grows a strong, healthy plant. It covers and protects and gives that little human being the confidence to grow up into an adult, like -- but not identical -- to the parents.
And so our club grows. With each child added, the dynamic of the family changes. Hearts are knit together. The family becomes its own private club, complete with code words, secret handshakes, inside jokes, and rules unique to the association.
Not many people nowadays enjoy membership in such an association. A lot of people are unwilling to fork out the membership dues. And that's the unique characteristic of the club that is a family. Membership is free....but it costs you everything.