Baby Love!

Creek walking with my little Grand Girl

This is Susannah, my sweet, first granddaughter. She lives in another state so I don't get to see her nearly enough, but she just spent five days with her Granddad and me. So did her mommy and daddy, but somehow we didn't get as many pictures of them as we did of her.

Their visit was a busy time with lots of friends and family coming by to say hello. I was in the kitchen for hours, making meals, fixing coffee and baking treats while people came and went. It was satisfying to hear the sound of laughter ringing through the house as people visited with each other. When I finally sat down in the living room at the end of the day, I found the conversation taking a quieter and more serious turn. It was wonderful to hear my kids talking about their lives and sharing their hearts with us.

Jonathan and Kristin are gracefully dealing with the challenges of raising Susannah. She is a very happy toddler, but she gets restless and wakes them up many nights. She is delightful to watch and fun to play with, but she needs lots and lots of that kind of attention. There is nothing they would rather do than love on their little girl, but sometimes they wish they could do other things as well. They hope to expand their family, but they are sobered by the responsibility of bringing children into the world.

These are the paradoxes of parenthood. Bern and I faced them when we raised our own brood and we remember the exhaustion and the expense, the fears and joys of raising four children to adulthood. So how should we advise these young parents now?

Here is what we say: Go for it! Enjoy those children and trust God to provide. There will never be a better way to invest your time and your life. It is the best thing in the world to end up with a house full of family, laughter and sharing.