Saturday, March 26, 2011

Parenting

I know that being a parent is the hardest job in the world and yet it is also the most rewarding.
For the last week, I have been in the sixth grade classroom volunteering my time and talents to help the teacher and the students. It has been rough!!! The whole class has been preparing to do student lead conferences. These conferences will take place next week and the students will be in charge. They will be presenting their grades and some of the work they have done. The teacher and I have helped them to prepare. Last Friday, we had them practice with us one to one. There were some students who couldn't wait to have their mom or dad come and hear what they had to say. But there were so many more who were afraid. They had never been able to really talk to their parent(s) and this would be the first time that they had an opportunity to be heard. It felt great to encourage and empower these precious children. I hope and pray that they will be able to follow through at the actual conference.
Although it has been many years ago, I can remember my sixth grade conference. I had never gone to one before and was afraid of what my mom would say and do. It was scary for me because I knew that I had a really bad grade in one of my subjects. It was the grade I deserved because I had deliberately chosen to not do the work. My conference went really well and it felt great to be able to explain how boring the subject had been and that was the reason I chose to not do the work. As my mom and I walked home, I thought I would get in big trouble. My mom was quiet and then, she told me that she loved me. (That was rare for her to say.) I asked her who she loved best in our family and she told me that it was my dad. I asked her which one of us four kids she loved the best and she replied that she loved each of us the same. It was a relief to hear, because I often thought that she loved my siblings more than she loved me.
As I worked with the children, I was able to share part of that story with them. A few of them were surprised and I think took courage from my story. I pray for them and their families. I hope that their conferences will go really well and that this will be the beginning of stronger relations with their parents.
The blessing that I get from this, is that God loves all of His children just the same. When God looks upon us, He no longer sees us, He sees Jesus in me and us in Jesus. John 17:23, Jesus says," I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast love me." Let that sink in for a moment....God loves you as much as He loves Jesus!!!!

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