A seasoned perspective…
Deborah Raney
Graduation is always a poignant time of year for me. Especially so, now that—after almost three decades of being hands-on parents—the empty nest is screaming down on my husband and me. Three short years from now our youngest will graduate from high school and we’ll be facing the end—the very end—of our parenting years.
How is it possible that we’re so quickly arriving at this time of our lives? Wasn’t it only yesterday we were changing diapers and getting up groggy-eyed for those middle-of-the-night feedings? Or bemoaning the fact that we never had a moment to ourselves and that all our income was gobbled up by teenagers guzzling the gas in our vehicles, sporting adult-sized appetites and wearing adult-sized (and adult-priced) clothes?
As we watch our daughter and her husband care for their little boy—our adorable first grandchild—the memories come crashing back. They’re mostly good ones—treasured scenes of precious little boys and girls who looked at us with the same adoring eyes Reed gazes at his mommy and daddy with. We watch him grow and it reminds us again of the funny stories of our family’s life—stories we’ve told a hundred times, and that our children will tell their children and their grandchildren down through the generations. It seems impossible we could be nearing the end of that life we’ve grown so comfortable with.
Still, as much as we’ve loved parenting our four children, as often as we’ve declared we wouldn’t trade any amount of freedom for time spent with our kids, I must admit I’m looking forward to the empty nest. And I think my husband is too. I feel a touch of guilt making that statement. After all, once a mother, always a mother. Right? Well, of course, we’ll never stop being Mom and Dad to our kids, but if we do our job as parents well, the goal is to put ourselves out of a full-time job. It’s the way God planned it, and we’re discovering that God’s plans are always, always good.
I’m excited about having a little more time to spend with the father of my children, the love of my life. I’m looking forward to exploring new horizons together, getting to know the people we’ve become over the years, falling in love all over again.
But I’m also delighted that part of God’s plan for us is grandchildren. How sweet to discover that this stage of life brings another taste of all the things we loved about being parents—and two genuinely nice people to send the baby home with at the end of the day.
Discussion:
Read Psalm 127:3-5 and Psalm 103: 17, 18
• The Bible speaks of children as a blessing from the Lord. Has that been your experience? Why or why not?
