Oh Klugeryid, you entertain the living daylights right out of me and if I’m not careful I’ll end up spending my entire day engaged in trying to finally get one over on you.. which will probably not happen so I should probably attend to my other responsibilities first.
My eldest son was the most stubborn, go his own way come heck or high water kid on the face of the earth and my own parent’s wish come true when in exasperation they said to me, “I hope you have a child just like yourself some day”. If there was a more stubborn, kicking, screaming and protesting harder way to do anything my son then it was my son who signed the artwork on it. Fortunately, his mother had already signed the copyright on the book to it.
Parenting isn’t about winning. It’s about being grateful for the gift of a child, loving that child unconditionally and having respect for that child. It’s taking a leap of faith and because the day will come when you run out of answers, it’s about placing your trust in Hashem that His hand working through your hands and His voice speaking through your voice is going to see this kid turning out alright even after having the most imperfect parents possible.
My son turned out just fine. Better than fine actually. He is 23 and married to a girl he knew all his life. Together they have a daughter and expect another baby later this year. I tell my son the same thing my parent’s told me, “I hope you have a child just like you”. What I don’t say out loud is that along with finally understanding your parent’s pain comes the understanding of your parent’s blessing.
p.s. he still hates getting up in the morning, not my problem anymore, he has his own house and a baby he loves more than his bed… sometimes things work out perfectly