A Thank You Post

I've spent a lot of time writing about my experiences as a mother, lessons I've learned from my children, and the legacy I want to leave with my children. What I haven't spent time writing about is where I'm coming from with my background. 

I was a rotten, attitude-ridden, mouthy, difficult teenager. I rolled my eyes, conversed in sarcasm, and was mostly disagreeable around my family.  (I can hear the shout of "Amen!" from my parents now.) 

Now that I have two teenagers of my own, I cringe thinking about how I behaved.  As a child, I inwardly groaned when my mother brought up scripture from the Bible to prove a point.  Now, I search for scripture to use with my children.  My mother is the reason I grew up in a Christian home.  I'm sorry to say it took having children of my own to realize the importance of that background.  Supporting each other's activities in our family was expected.  While I may have been bored sitting at some of my brother's activities, I remember my family attending my basketball games sophomore year where I spent 90% of the season on the bench.  It may be more difficult for me to sit through a band concert or choir program with three children, but I've said what I heard from my mother, "We are a family, and we support each other."

I wish I could go back and change the way I behaved as a child, but it has made me appreciate my mother so much more for still loving me through it.  I know I have apologized to my parents for being so difficult, but I just want to take a moment to say:

Thanks, Mom!  I love you!