When is our Job as Parents Done?

Someone recently asked me when our job as parents is done. That got me thinking about my own beautiful, amazing mom and her role in my life throughout all the years. When was her job raising me done? 

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There are six children in my family, and I am the youngest. As you can imagine, that’s a lot of “crazy” to parent, especially because four of us were born in a span of a little over four years! I truly don’t know how she did it, but she showed up every day and loved, disciplined, and nurtured every single one of us through every stage from infancy to college. I’m sure she wasn’t perfect. I’m sure she made mistakes, but she never wavered on two things: 1.) Crazy or not, we are a family and families are always there for each other. 2.) She would ALWAYS love us no matter what. We never had to worry about that.

I’ve been married with my own family for over 30 years, so the details of her job as my parent changed a long time ago, but one thing has stayed the same. She is still my most important role model. She continues to set the example by her behavior. 

•That’s it, I think. As parents, how we behave speaks way louder than what we actually say.•

My mom is about to turn 91, and you better believe I am watching and taking notes on how she navigates her senior years. 

Just the other day, as she was leaving our Memorial Day get-together, it took a few of us to get her into the car... not because she was frail and careful, but because she wouldn’t stop dancing around the driveway! “I haven’t even had any wine,” she exclaimed with a proud smile!!!

I know I hit the jackpot as far as moms go, and as far as I can tell, her job as my parent will never be over. Her example will be with me forever! ❤️