Some Good Advice

Piper, your mom has largely avoided reading parenting books and listening to a lot of canned child-rearing advice. I don't know if it's that I just want to make my own mistakes or if I trust that we can just live and God's going to teach me how to be your mom, but I guess I'm just not the kind of person who wants to live by everybody else's rules.

Still, I do occasionally get some really good advice, and I got a precious card from someone last week that I wanted to remember, so I thought I would just copy that advice here on your blog so I can find it when I need to remember that someone else understands.

"Dear Peter and Kelly,

"Congratulations! As you slowly stop sinning after the double-whammy of a baby and a bar exam, I hope you find much joy in these first months of parenthood.

"Kelly, I think you and I had the same initiation into motherhood: it was God's idea, not mine; and once I got that baby, I loved her, soon liked her, but simply didn't feel like a mother. Looking back on six years now, I can encourage you: God will shape you into the mother that Piper needs. As she grows, you will grow. Enjoy the process and trust our big God.

"One of the best 'helps' to being a parent is to remember what you thought and felt as a child. 'But Piper's so small-- I can't remember anything from when I was a baby!' Bingo! She won't remember your bobbles and 'learning moments.' She will know only that you love her."

I pray that's true. From baby talk to singing out loud to you, I'm learning to do things I never thought I could. I hope you will always know I love you.