it never happened the way they said

My joys:
Older brother and sister cooking dinner together (with smiles and laughs)
Little brother seeking place closest to baby sister at the table
Youngest brother drawing picture of a castle after reading about God, his refuge
Baby sister laughing as she shows everyone how she can say "shhh" with little finger to mouth

I have to admit I had a slight fear of what raising kids could include. I listened to people talk about what kids do and how they act--what we could expect. Now that years have passed, I've learned to use my ears like my old radio dial, adjusting my hearing to only those voices that speak wisely and carefully and immediately tuning out many loud voices that speak without much thought.

We were warned about the toddler years. The chosen term was "terrible" back then. Then the years when they would "drive us crazy" by all the questions they ask. Of course, the preteen years for girls were supposed to do us in. But finally when they became teenagers, that's when the real torture was supposed to happen.

Yet I sit here wondering how all these people managed to be so tormented by this parenting experience and I get to be so blessed by it.

Not only blessed, but I have benefited from it, reaping an abundance of growth in my character and my spirit, as I have had to learn to change me in the process of leading them.

When Dad is away and school starts again, we spend so much time studying together, cleaning together, playing together, and tonight cooking together. I watch as we sit at the table and my eyes see the most amazing things. What kids are really like, not what people warned us about.

I enjoy them. Of course there have been difficult times, but most of those were opportunities for them to see their need of a Savior and for growth for Mom and Dad.

I feel for all those who warned and spread fear about parenting. Either they simply spoke loose words for conversations sake or they actually meant what they said. The latter is full of even more sadness to me because it means they just accepted lies about kids as facts and probably never saw the amazing little beings God put beside them to bless them.