A mother's pontification...

Having a child is a life altering experience. Anyone who has had one will agree. Any one who hasn't yet had a child, but wants one, can most likely imagine, to some extent, as I think that desire is something that can be harder on a generally happy person, more than anything else. Usually, for some reason, around this time of year I get sentimental. Changing of the seasons, heading towards the holidays, snow, toasty fires, blankets, and hot buttered rum, sleds and family gatherings make me that way, I guess. Anyway, here is a list of things I've learned about having kids. Please keep in mind that I'm not eliminating Frank Castle from the equation here, it's just a post about children. It would be weird to do a post like this about my husband. :-)

#1. Nothing, NOTHING, nothing, can prepare you for the way you love your child. Nothing at all. To some extent you are prepared for the way you love your spouse. Pick your poison: From pop culture, talking to peers as a teenager, and as a Christian the comparison to Christ loving his Bride, the church, can in a small way prepare you for that. But, setting eyes on your child for the first time will blow your mind, and while you love your spouse with an insane love, every other emotion you've ever had will pale in comparison to that wholly selfless and scary emotion you immediately experience over this little life together.

#2. The world is a beautiful place. The world is a horrible place. The world is a beautiful place. The world is a horrible place. The world is a beau.... well, you get it.

#3. Nothing will send you to your knees faster than having children. From the moment you know of them, you will desire Christ and His path for them, intensely.

#4. No one will ever make you more frustrated then your child. Mine are toddlers, and I can only imagine that will get worse. I've come to the conclusion it's because they matter the most. You want the best for them, and the best from them.

#5. No one will be able to make you more proud than your child. Their accomplishments are better than your own, by a long shot.

#6. Seeing the world through their eyes is such a gift from above. It's a second chance to appreciate all the little things around you, as if they are new.

#7. A side benefit of having a child is the comfort and love they send your way. I never really thought about it when we set out on this child-rearing journey, but time and again, their simple love for me, and desire to comfort me regardless of the reason why absolutely awes me. Maybe they'll end up growing out of that one. Haha--I hope not!

#8. It is so fun to watch their observations, and sense of humor come out, the older they get. The things that bother them, the things they love. Their weird games, the observations they make about situations and people are so interesting. Hmmm. I should do a post on their weird made-up games.

#9. And, the reason I'm doing this post is because I originally had another one going. See, my shoes get worn constantly, and left around the house constantly. I've started taking pics of this, and I actually started looking through all our pics to find older ones where my kids are wearing my shoes, to finish off that post. And, I noticed how many pictures I had of my kids with their daddy. It touched me enough to alter my posting intentions for the day, because my love of shoes has nothing on the three nutso's I call my family. And, I love shoes quite a lot. So, here's a few pics that reminded me of all these amazing things about having kids, and made me smile on this day:

So, we'll save my mindless post on shoes for another day. If you have something to add to my list above, feel free to leave it to me in a comment!