As I sat and thought about what I wanted to encourage all you beautiful young parents about this week, I started to dwell on the
wonder of children and how much joy and pleasure they bring into the world by just being children.
I have had the pleasure at the moment of watching our youngest son Daniel and his gorgeous wife Anneke welcome their first baby into their lives. What an exciting time of life, nothing is ever the same again. You can never look at your life and what it represents in the same way. The excitement, expectation, joy and sense of responsibility all go together to make up the love for this little one that you had no idea you had the capacity. It is such a special moment to see your child become a parent for their first time.
Daniel and Anneke are beautiful parents and little, or should I say big Frazer (he is such a Chubba) is, of course, the most beautiful baby ever. It’s amazing how all our eleven grandchildren are the most gorgeous babies ever. That’s just the way it goes.
Every time a baby is born it’s like the tap of joy has been turned on, and joy is flowing into the world. Mary Howitt puts it this way;
“God sends children for another purpose than merely to keep up the race – to enlarge our hearts; and to make us unselfish and full of kindly sympathies and affection; to give our souls higher aims; to call out all our faculties to extend enterprise and exertion and to bring round our fire sides bright faces, happy smiles and loving , tender hearts.”
As a mother, I am standing on the sidelines watching all this and more within Daniel as a father. Daniel has always been a deep thinker and very aware of people around him, however, to see him light up as he looks at his son Frazer, is such a blessing to me.
Frazer at just weeks old has brought a depth within Daniel as a person that only being a parent can bring. With all the business of life, we can often forget what pleasures these children have brought into our lives. We often take for granted the extra individual dimensions they bring to our lives that make us develop into stronger, wiser, fuller adults with lives that have an even deeper sense of purpose because they are part of us, and we are part of them. There is no way of honestly describing what happens to us when we allowed this incredible privilege of parenthood and no words can truly express the love that we have for these children of ours as they come and change our whole world forever.
They open our eyes to things we would never see or understand without them to show us. Laurence Alma-Tadema once wrote:
“In summer, I am very glad we children are so small, For we can see a thousand things That men can’t see at all.”
Isn’t this so true, when we stop and listen, really listen to little ones, they open our minds up to a whole other world that we have forgotten or even missed altogether. Their imaginations are so fresh, and their level of expectation, even in the most simple things, is breathtaking.
What laughter and entertainment we receive from them just being inquisitive, playful little beings who are so full of wonder. I also really love sitting and listening to my teenage granddaughters, learning a whole new language as I had to when my children became teenagers. Looking at life through their eyes and appreciating and enjoying life is so different for them. It’s different to what their parents experienced as adolescents and certainly different to my experience. Through them and my relationship with them, my life is so much richer.
I love what Desmond Tutu observed about children when he said,
“Children are a wonderful gift… They have an extraordinary capacity to see into the heart of things.”
Children are so good at seeing things just as they are and speaking it out with no complications and no filters. It can be embarrassing at times just how accurate and open they are, however, sometimes we adults need to learn not to be so complicated and just have a childlike view of life, so we appreciate the simple things more. They often can forgive and move on so much quicker than we can because they don’t keep the accounts we do. Children add so much more to our lives than what they take; we often pay too much attention to what we have to give up for them and forget what they bring to our lives.
We as parents and grandparents are so critical to our children no matter what age they or we are, they make us relevant; just their existence gives us an important role in this world.
They are the hope and future of this world. The potential and the possibilities that are within them are astounding, and we all have the opportunity to nurture and develop each one of these precious little ones were given to us.
I am so excited and expectant of what potential is within little Frazer Able Bateman, and I am equally excited and hopeful about the father Daniel is and is becoming as he and beautiful Anneke raise this unique and powerful little man to become all he can be.
I want to congratulate you all on your parenting, never lose sight of the wonder and privilege it is to be given this opportunity to
create and develop your precious little miracle. Enjoy them, stop and listen to them, laugh with them, play with them on their terms and be introduced to the world you would otherwise miss.
Be blessed
Susanna
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