Now, hopefully, that brought a smile to your face. Long days but sprinkles of giggles from your child are always the best.

As I was out walking yesterday, I was approached by another walker who was pushing a stroller with a 15-month old and walking her dog. I had made several laps in my neighborhood and you could tell she took notice. She slowed to exchange a greeting and followed it with concern.

“Have you seen a pink little piggy? I noticed you have been walking and wanted to know if you saw it. This is a special little piggy for this little girl.”

Oh my! My heart sank for the anxious babysitter. I had flashbacks of the lost blankie for my son, Gman. It went missing in Epcot Center. He was such a little thing too. And the blankie was everything!

I remained calm so the babysitter would have a little hope. But I had already been around the area multiple times and had not seen a pink piggy. I confirmed I would keep watch for the piggy and drop it by the house if I found it.

After a few more trips around the neighborhood, I was stopped again by a driver rolling down her window. It was the mother of the babysitter helping to look for the little pink piggy.

Sharing the information of where I had walked, I reconfirmed my lookout for the piggy and suggested she look more in the areas where I had not walked.

We have a tendency to want to give our children exactly what we think they need; a little pink piggy, or a pooh bear blankie. And when the disruption happens we begin to panic. We don’t know what to do, how to act, and we find ourselves scrambling for clarity.

All we want is to do right by our children; first at the start of their lives, then as they mature and grow up.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to do right by your child. However, when you wrap yourself up in the success (or failure) of your child, you are playing with fire.

You may want to please your child. You may desire to make their dreams come true. But your job is not to make their lives easier just because. You are to teach them and train them up to become productive citizens, so they too can impact the world that they touch.

Live. Love. IMPACT!

Too much of our days are spent wishing we would have done things differently with our children. But remember, your child’s story is not your success (or failure).

The K.I.S.S. ~ Your child’s story is not your success (or failure)!

If how you parent ranked you as the best person in the world, imagine all that would be riding on your shoulders.

You cannot control who your children hang out with. Yes, you can influence their decisions. But ultimately, it’s theirs to make.

And I don’t like that as much as you do. I wish I could control some things more. But what adventure and lessons would be missed if I was controlling more things.

You (and I) need to learn that our child’s story is not our success or failure. So how can we look at parenting differently, and see the beauty among the flowers and the weeds?

1. Who you are is not who your child turns out to be. You have your own mind, your own heart, your own body, and your spirit. Who you are is not determined by what your child does, or says, or how he/she shows up online.
2. You plant the seeds and fertilize accordingly; God does the rest. This is a time of harvest before the winter months set in. You have to be okay with both your child’s success and failure.
3. Be YOU!! Life is not about your child. Yes, you have a responsibility. But you too have a life. There will be seasons where your child needs more of your attention than other seasons. However, that doesn’t mean that you lose a part of you by being his/her mother (or father).

So this little piggy went where?

You might have failed in a few areas or seasons or conversations with your child. But not all is lost.

Every day is a new day! Don’t look back and wish you would have paid closer attention to seeing if the blankie fell off and where. You do the best you can moment by moment.

“Be present. Be incredible. Be YOU!!!“