Headed back to school... for all of us!

Well, this is it.  Today is my last day of summer.  :(  I really love summer.  Not for the reasons that you might expect though.  Not because I can sleep late and stay up late and hang out with my peeps whenever I want and float around in the pool for hours at a time.  Well, sure, those things play a part. But it's more than that.  I love summer because I can take care of my home and family in the ways that  I would like to all year long.  I would thoroughly enjoy being a full-time homemaker.  Well, as I type that I think I am a full-time homemaker, I just also have a job outside my home as well.  I have asked God many times to allow me to be a full-time homemaker and at this point He has not granted me that request.  I trust that he will do that when it is his time, even if that's when I retire!

As I head back to school so do my boys.  Baby boy #4 is a sophomore at a university about 3 hours away.  He will be living with a relative and we will be moving him on Saturday.  This, of course, isn't the first time we've moved a son to college.  In fact, it isn't even the first time we've moved this son to college!  We've done this a few times now but that doesn't make it any easier.  In fact, I think it may make it harder because now each time we move one out, even if it's just for the school year, I have, in the back of my mind,  this thought, "This is it.  He will never live at home again.  I'm finished with the time that he is under my wing and under my influence daily."  And I say a prayer that he will remember the good and right things that we have tried to teach him and forget the many mistakes that we made in parenting.  Lord, protect and guide him.  Put people in his path that are an influence for you.  Guide his path in your righteous ways. Give him a purpose that is designed for him by you and then fit him with the tools to accomplish that purpose.  Give him a heart for loving and serving you first and loving and serving others second and make the desire of his heart to please you.

Baby Boy #5 is a senior this year.  That brings another whole set of emotions.   I am excited for him.  So many fun things to do.  And I am sad that it's almost over.  (I haven't had him long enough, Lord!  Help me make the most of every opportunity you give me to teach him your ways!)  But he's is going to be ready to fly the coupe (I hope) just like his brothers have been.  And that's a good thing!  That means their father and I have done our job!  As hubby and I get him ready to fly the coupe I have some prayers for him and us.  Lord, help us (especially me, because he and I have our sturggles) give him the things he needs from us, not just material things but the emotional, spiritual things as well.  Lord, guide his path.  Give him courage and boldness to make the choices that you would have him make.  Lord, help him with his responsibilities.  Give him the perserverance to accomplish all that needs to be accomplished this year.  Make your purposes for him clear to him.  Fit him with the tools that he will need to accomplish these purposes.  Help him to see clearly the truly important things and to not allow the expedient to confuse him.  Prepare the people that will be a part of his life a year from now.  Make some of them your people.  Give them hearts to understand what him.  Make his heart's desire to serve you first and others second. Make his heart's desire to please you.  

With true bittersweetness, I am enjoying lots of lasts and a few firsts with both of these guys.  They have been so much fun!  (as have all of my boys!)  As our active, hands-on parenting years draw to a close I am (mostly) at peace with it.  I say that I am.  I say it out loud to others... because if I say it out loud I think it will be more true!  I will convince myself that it is true.  I still pray daily for my all of my guys, I'm sure I always will.  I still long for, plan for, and completely enjoy the times when any of them are able to come home or we are able to visit them.  But some days, like today, I'm a bit nostagic for the days of babbling baby sounds, toddler fits, curious 4 year-old questions, and grubby, sticky little boy bodies. I even miss those moody, then suddenly loving, teenagers.  Each stage of childhood and parenting has such sweet stuff in it!  If you are in the midst of these days, take a moment to really enjoy them,  Touch them, smell them, watch them.  Love them!  And most importantly, teach them to love Jesus.  If you get that part right, the rest is just gravy!

With that in mind, I will try to post a few things that hubby and I have found helpful in our parenting.  Please understand that I do NOT in anyway hold us up as experts!  We have made MANY mistakes, some of which have been very costly.  But we have nearly raised 5 sons and we do have lots of experience because of that.  We've found a few things that have worked well for us along the way.  With that said (not that I won't repeat it) I will post a few of those things that we have learned in the coming days.  Remember though... I'm headed back to the work-a-day world and moving a boy to college so the posts may be a while in coming.  :)

If you have comments, ideas, recommendations, resources for dealing with raising teens, letting go of parenting, empty-nesting, etc. I would love to read them.  Leave me a comment!  

For the Lover of my soul,

Laurie Jo