Just some thoughts…

I was reading an article with Amy Grant the other day and they were interviewing her about her family and stuff. They asked her what has been the most surprising thing to her about raising kids. Her reply was…

“I have three sisters and they all live in Nashville. One of my sisters gave me great insight; she already had four children. She said you basically have three increments of time, each [lasting] five years. For the first five you’re their playmate and it’s kind of physically tiring. The second five years are the most fun because you get to introduce them to everything you love. From ages 11 to 15, they take all those things you’ve introduced them to and they want to do them, but they want to do them with their friends. By the time they’re 16, the shaping is long over and you are just there – hopefully – to help pick up the pieces when they crash.”

I just thought that was a really neat way of looking at parenting and probably very true. I think only the first year or so would be physically tiring because the baby needs so much attention and you have no idea what they want until they are able to talk and tell you what they want or what is the matter. After that I think it would be a lot of fun. Being your little ones playmate isn’t a bad thing. Or at least I don’t think it would be. Reading books, coloring, watching cartoons, playdates, visits to the park and stuff sounds like fun to me. I guess I’ll be finding out soon enough on my own...