My mom taught me how to be a mom. I thought that when I became a mom myself, I would put all her lessons to work. I kind of thought the learning was over, in a sense. Then, the last year happened, and I really saw what being a mom meant.
In September 2017, my husband was diagnosed with testicular cancer. After Christmas, our cars broke down– both of them. In January, one of our twins was born with a heart defect. It seemed that one thing after another went wrong.
Every single time, my parents were there to pick up the pieces. Not only were my parents at our every beck and call, but my mother-in-law came to our rescue every occasion as well. In all of the chaos, I learned that being a parent means that your kids always come first; even when they are 32 years old.
My mom, dad, and mother-in-law put us first for months on end, and put their own needs on the back burner.
Our parents are not only teaching us what unconditional love really looks like, but they are also teaching our daughters that value. For that, I am even more grateful.
So often you hear the phrases “18 years of responsibility” or “when they no longer need me“ in reference to being a parent. My parents never took that stance growing up. We were expected to get jobs, go to school, be independent, but our home was always home. It still is. When my daughter says she will never move out, I embrace that. I want her to know exactly what my husband and I know: no matter how old you are, you can always come home.
We are lucky that at this stage in life, we have my husbands’ grandparents as well. Love does not end at 18, and they are the greatest proof of that fact. The love and care they have for my children {their great-grandchildren} is incredible.
We owe a lot to our parents and grandparents for the love they have given to us and the lessons they have taught us. The only way we can repay them is to give the same unconditional love to our own children, grandchildren, and hopefully great-grandchildren, and instill the same appreciation for family support as our parents and Grandparents have given to us!
What is one lesson you live by, that you learned from your parents?
This is the best! So heartfelt. There’s nothing like being surrounded by family at any age.