Running
I am a runner and you may not realize it yet, but if you take care of children, so are you. There is a lot of running in our lives. We run to school, run home for dinner and even fight the endless battle against noses that run all winter long. We run upstairs the moment we hear the crash, followed by the cry and we run around all over town looking for poster board and stencils on the way home from work.
This kind of running may look a little bit different than the sleek, spandex clad athletes we see whizzing by on the track, but these different kinds of running have more similarities and common ground than you might think. Both require a great love and dedication; both demand great endurance and both result in a great, big, healthy heart.
Later today my daughter and I will participate in a 5K fun-run to support the Connecticut Food Banks. She will fly and I will huff and puff my way around the course, but it doesn’t matter. She may not realize it; by even though we will be together running around the same track, we will be running different kinds of races.
She is running to help feed hungry families and, truth be told, to get some extra credit for biology class. I am running because by the time we drive to school, do the run and drive back, I will have my teenager all to myself for about three hours. This is major extra credit for me. I love to be with her and we will have a laugh for sure, (probably when she discovers how many shades of purple I can turn.)
The nicest part of the run is that earphones are not allowed. We will actually talk. Sometimes we hear the most authentic voice from our teenagers when they are engaged in another activity. I’ve heard about little boys who will talk for hours while assembling a model airplane or doing a jigsaw puzzle. Girls who are happy to spend hours talking about what’s on their minds; as long as they are working out or cooking. The point is, as children grow up we need to get a little more creative to get in touch with their hearts.
It’s too easy to say that teenagers are too crazy, immature or selfish. Judging them comes easy, but it only has a limited usefulness. When they were babies they had no problem calling out in the night and telling us all about the monster under the bed. Now, it’s a little different. Kids often say I’m fine no matter how they might be feeling. (Gee, I wonder where they learned that?)
I guess what it all comes down to is this. No matter how old our kids get, we love them and we want to spend time with them. We want to keep our bond strong so that we can continue to be relevant and the guiding force in their lives. Little kids have little problems most of the time and we are there for them in everyway we can be. Even if you don’t love finger painting or knock knock jokes, you play along with a smile on your face because spending time with your child matters. It’s good for both of you. Nothing has changed.
Now it’s fun-runs and Twilight movies, or endless sports and performances. Hours waiting and driving and waiting some more. But that’s okay. You are a parent; a highly trained athlete with great dedication and endurance. You are growing your heart muscle right passed your previous comfort zone and hanging in for the long haul.
We begin by carrying our child and then we hold their hand. Before we know it we are running along side and we can see the point just up ahead when they will fly by us and we will cheer with all we have. We cheer because we know they take our love with them and because they know we actually see who they are. We take the time to get to know them and we love them unconditionally. (Even in those unlovable moments.)
They fly with the greatest gift we can give them; they fly with our trust and love beneath their brand new wings.
I hope they will fly toward the sun, so their shadows always fall behind.
Marilynn
Categories: General
