As a young mom, I never subscribed to that old "It takes a village to raise a child" theory. I was out to prove that I could do it, and do it well, pretty much by myself. I didn't even allow my husband much input most of the time. This baby was MINE and I would feed her, change her, dress her, discipline her, teach her, and love her...thank you very much.
Of course, I couldn't keep that up for long, and I eventually learned to appreciate the other people in my kids' lives who love and support them. Extended family, friends, teachers, pastors...all touch my children's lives in a positive way.
Last weekend, Hillary competed in the Fine Arts Festival in Springfield. It's a church-sponsored event that encourages young people to use their talents to minister to others in a variety of ways. Hillary submitted a photo, participated in a drama with a large group of other teens, and choreographed a small "human video" - performed by herself and 3 other girls. When I got to the room she was performing in, it was crowded with people. As I looked around, I realized many of them were there for her! Since this is a district wide event, several of our old friends were there. Her current youth pastor was there, who got her started in the youth worship team...and
also her previous youth pastor and his wife (from the church we atten
ded before we moved), who took her on a missions trip last summer. There was Ms. Elena, who took her to school in the mornings when she was in elementary because I had to be at work early...and Ms. Dena who was her first grade teacher and Bible Quiz coach...and Kim and Gennifer, new friends who helped coach and encourage Hillary through all those practices to get to the competition.
As the music began, and Hillary started to act, I could hardly breathe. All four of the girls did great, and when it was over I wanted to stand up and yell "That's my kid!" But there was no need...because all those other faces were already shining with pride, and it looked like they were thinking, "That's our girl!"
So maybe it doesn't take a village to raise a child...but it does take a family!
Of course, I couldn't keep that up for long, and I eventually learned to appreciate the other people in my kids' lives who love and support them. Extended family, friends, teachers, pastors...all touch my children's lives in a positive way.
Last weekend, Hillary competed in the Fine Arts Festival in Springfield. It's a church-sponsored event that encourages young people to use their talents to minister to others in a variety of ways. Hillary submitted a photo, participated in a drama with a large group of other teens, and choreographed a small "human video" - performed by herself and 3 other girls. When I got to the room she was performing in, it was crowded with people. As I looked around, I realized many of them were there for her! Since this is a district wide event, several of our old friends were there. Her current youth pastor was there, who got her started in the youth worship team...and
also her previous youth pastor and his wife (from the church we atten
ded before we moved), who took her on a missions trip last summer. There was Ms. Elena, who took her to school in the mornings when she was in elementary because I had to be at work early...and Ms. Dena who was her first grade teacher and Bible Quiz coach...and Kim and Gennifer, new friends who helped coach and encourage Hillary through all those practices to get to the competition.As the music began, and Hillary started to act, I could hardly breathe. All four of the girls did great, and when it was over I wanted to stand up and yell "That's my kid!" But there was no need...because all those other faces were already shining with pride, and it looked like they were thinking, "That's our girl!"
So maybe it doesn't take a village to raise a child...but it does take a family!
1 comment:
Yeah! I love my natural born family, but what in the world would we do without God's family, which supports this natural born one. Thank God for his love 'shed abroad in our hearts'. We love each other, and each others' kids. MOM
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