Parenting 101

When Jessie was a newborn, Fred and I took a parenting class at the hospital. Most of the Mommy’s were pregnant and a few had their newborns with them in class. Not me. I was not pregnant and I wasn’t able to tote my newborn into the parenting class. She was upstairs in the NICU nursery. She stayed there for 2 ½ weeks. She stubbornly refused to gain weight sitting at a steady 3 lbs 12 oz. for days.

In the class, they taught us about diapering, feeding, bathing, holding and swaddling our babies. They never taught us how to handle special needs (depression, anxiety, ADD). We didn’t learn how to raise pre-teens and teenagers. They just taught us the EASY stuff. I think I want my money back.

As Jessie gets closer to turning 13 and as she approaches 8th grade, things seem to get harder and harder. As hard as parenting is, I think being a teen is even harder. We are starting to hear tales of students making bad choices with alcohol. Jess came home telling that a group of 7th grade students attended a party after a school dance. She was told that they were arrested for drugs and alcohol (much of this could be hearsay). A guy that she considers to be a close friend was there. She is like me; she roots for the underdog and hopes for the good in people. I hope her blind faith never gets her into situations that she can’t handle.

When Jessie was a newborn, I remember being in such a hurry for her to get out of NICU. Now I wonder what the hurry was. If only we could go back to those days when she was swaddled in a blanket and placed in the tiny little incubator. She was tucked away and protected from harm. However, the world doesn’t work that way. We have to be big girls and boys and face our fears and our personal demons. I guess that leaves us Moms and Dads to love them, teach them the best that we can and pray always.

I have some comfort this week. Jessie left this morning for our church’s girls’ camp. For four days, she will be protected from the world!