TaTa, the baby of the family, the last of eight kids, the child of our old age...I feel sorry for him that he lives life as an only child, his older brothers and sisters married or away at college. Life must be pretty boring living with an old grandpa and grammy. He is the focus of our daily attention. He must feel like a bug under a microscope. Poor kid. He doesn't even get spoiled. He drives around in a beat up Chevy pick-up truck with a busted out side mirror. He has to be in by 11:00p.m. on the weekend. Parenting an "only child" presents different challenges. We do have our "moments".
So I'm grateful for the wonderful women's conference the church put on last weekend. Randall Wright, an author,speaker, and teacher (who is also related to son-in-law Walter) reminded us that as parents, we are coaches. Our kids are on scholarships (they've been given everything), and so there are expectations. The secret of good coaching is to have clearly defined rules (and consequences)and high expectations along with good relationships (lots of positives -- hugs, "I love you's"). With teenagers, there are many times you don't "like" them or what they do, but they must feel our unconditional love.
What's not to love about the baby of the family?
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