Came across an honest but inspirational take on parenting posted by one of our church mates on his Facebook wall yesterday. We’ve known David and his lovely wife Phoebe for about 4 years now and always touched by their positivity and sincerity.  David is an exceptional Ipad artist and I know his introspective piece on ‘Why be a parent’ would resonate with all parents loud and strong. I’m reproducing it here with his permission.

“Once in a while, somebody I know would ask if there’s any good reason to have kids today, given the costs and challenges. My oldest child is only five, so I can’t say I’ve tasted everything about parenting.  But if I were to attempt an answer (and extrapolate from what I’ve been through so far), it’d be because I want to experience life to the fullest.

For as a parent,

You’d get to cry like you’ve never cried before.
You’d get to laugh like you’ve never laughed before.
You’d experience anger at a whole new level.
You’d begin to worry more about others than yourself.
You’d learn a whole new meaning to sacrificial love,
Find strength where you thought you had none.
You’d develop creativity that you never knew existed in you.
You’d learn to live vicariously through your kids
You’d learn the true meaning of patience and self control
You’d learn to be content with the non-material blessings
You’d have chances to show mercy and grace every day.
And at the end I believe you’d find manhood at its finest, womanhood at its best.
If you are a child of God, you’d have gained a better understanding of Jesus’ teaching in the Beautitudes.
A better grasp of the infinite love of our Heavenly Father – why Jesus laid down his life for us.
Why he said on the cross: “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing”.

I knew it all sounds idealistic. But fortunately for me, I know many godly men and women who had chosen to undertake this noble task, and have set excellent examples for me to follow.”

By David Chong (Daddy to Noah 5, and Nadia 2)

David and Nadia…

 All of us have different parenting styles…some of our kids are more challenging than others; some spouses more hands-on than others. Some have great extended home support from grandparents, some none. But it’s the same parenthood journey that we are on – exhilarating, tiring, comforting, exasperating, yet rewarding at the same time. Whenever we feel like throwing in the towel, may we remember that our kids are ‘loaned’ to us only for a season…cherish them, love and honour them, bring them up in our best knowledge so they we can leave a beautiful legacy for them.  Would I be a parent all over again? I’ll say ‘Yes’ in a heartbeat.