Looking Back, Looking Ahead

As parents, you often times wonder if you've made the right decisions in training your children. Especially when you train them against of the grain of society. I really hope that you are encouraged by this post was written by my daughter Ruth Miller. I saw it on her Facebook page. It really touched my heart and I wanted to share.

I can't believe how quickly time has gone by. I remember as a kid, days would go by so slowly. You could be outside playing for what seemed liked forever, only to find out two hours went by. And now, I'm an adult. My days filled up with cleaning and cooking, maintaining our budget, reading books on pregnancy, and preparing for labor and delivery with exercise videos. And the craziest thing of all is I'm about to be a mommy! Wow. It never stops giving me the "wow" factor when I think about it.

Last year seemed to fly by, with graduation and the wedding and finding out we were having a baby. It was such a great year! 2010 was probably the greatest year of my life so far, and yet, 2011 is sure to top it within the next two months when Mikey arrives.
It wasn't until I became pregnant that I really truly began to understand the power the love of a parent has.

Whenever I got sick or threw up due to morning sickness, the first thought in my head was my baby. Is my baby ok? Is he getting the nutrients he needs? Its mind-boggling how without effort, your thoughts, emotions, and energy are all focused on this little being whom you haven't seen yet. And how much relief you get when you find out they are ok.

It's amazing how excited I get when my little boy moves in my stomach when he hears his daddy talking to him in the morning. And how much emphathy I have when he has the hiccups literally all day long. I laugh when I look down at my stomach as he rolls from one side to another, making my stomach very lopsided. It touches my heart when he starts to calm down when I talk to him nice and quiet.

The love I have for my baby boy is unlike anything I've ever experienced. And I finally understand why my parents did some of the things they did growing up. It was because they loved us that they didn't let us sleep over at just anyone's house (looking back, that was one of the wisest things they ever did. You never know what goes on in people's homes). It was because they loved us that they didn't let us pick out every toy we wanted at the store (we'd end up spoiled and ungrateful if they did). It was because they loved us that they disciplined us (if not, we would be some of the most unrulely kids!). It was because they loved us that they decided to move our family from Vegas (though I hated the idea at first, spending so much time with my parents in Idaho was totally worth relocating). And it was because they loved me that they let me spread my wings and fly when the time came.

I really hope to be the kind of parent to my kids that my parents were to us. One who puts my children first, despite what society says. One who teaches my kids to respect those who are older than them. One who invests my personal time into teaching life lessons to my children. One who teaches them to respect their father by respecting him myself. One who never misses a game, or a recital, or a play. One who encourages them to never give up, even when things get hard. One who forgives and doesn't hold faults against you. One who never lets a day go by without saying "I love you"...

I'm so excited to be a mom, and I welcome this new chapter of my life with open arms! I count down the days until Ryan and I will be holding Michael in our arms, looking down in amazement at this little guy God chose to bless us with..
Nothing is going to top that day :)