What a Joy it is To Watch You Grow Up

Our children don’t know how amazing they are . . . yet.

As we watch our babies grow, it’s fun to imagine what they will become when they are much older. What will they be? Whose lives will they touch? Who will they have a profound impact on? They have strong personalities coming out, already. For they are full-time explorers leading their own path.

And we have front row seats to watch the amazing unfold.

That little girl who loves to put Band-Aids on all her teddy bears and rushes over to comfort a friend, unafraid of the blood oozing from his knees? She doesn’t know just yet how wonderful of a doctor she will be and the future lives she will save.

She doesn’t know how important compassion is—she just shows it naturally. It is within her.

The toddler who pretends to be a firefighter and sports his fireman pajamas four nights of the week? He has no idea how special he will be to a family he saves later in life. The heat is no match for the fire in his heart to live a life of rescue.

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Your twin boys who will break more bones than hearts? Those boys with boundless energy? They will become baseball players fans cheer for and your hometown roots for. I know they enjoy throwing and hitting right now, but they have determination and drive running through their veins. You will be so proud of how dedicated and hardworking they become.

The little boy who loves to give you kisses and can’t walk past a flower without picking it up and giving it to you? He will be an amazing husband to his wife. He will care for her heart and make her believe in fairy tales.

Your little girl, the daughter you molded into a kind-hearted, tender helper? She doesn’t know that one day she will teach a full classroom of third graders who will say she is their favorite teacher. She doesn’t know the impression she will leave on 30 students’ hearts every year. Right now, that little girl looking up at you simply wants to show you how she enjoys helping others.

Hear that boy of yours banging on walls and using furniture to make music?

Oh, mama, he’s a future musician, a drummer possibly. Music is his escape. He may go on to teach piano to those who feel socially isolated, and his lessons could be the best part of other people’s weeks.

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That rambunctious teen who fights you over the small stuff and is testing your boundaries? Take heart, mama, he will turn into a fine young man and respectable service member. He will find his way. He will watch over his fellow soldiers and form unbreakable bonds that are talked about for generations to come.

As for you, mama, with that baby in the carrier as you grocery shop? Those gummy, baby grins very well made a shopper’s day in Publix who was having a sour day. That elderly woman your baby smiled at went home and told her husband all about it. It starts with a smile, a wave, a silly toddler discussion with strangers. Days are brightened and made already from our children. We don’t know what other people are going through but the power of our children can already make a difference.

They don’t know how smart they are, how thoughtful they are, and how sweet they are. They don’t understand how resilient they are, how their creative minds can shape the future.

Right now they are so small, so young. They couldn’t possibly understand the impact they will have on not just our lives as their parents, but on strangers they will meet later in life. They don’t know how successful they will become, how much of a friend, and leader they will be. They don’t know how many hearts they will touch.

For now, they are touching our hearts as we see little glimpses into who our babies will become.

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While you may not be holding the next U.S. President in your arms, you are holding a future mother or father, a future caregiver, and friend. Could be a cowboy or an artist, time will tell.

Our children don’t know how to be amazing yet, but little do they know . . . they already are.