I've taken my kids for granted.

I've been thinking about how awesome my kids are lately. I was letting my thoughts go to some specific areas and I realized how many things about my girls that I just simply take for granted.

1. They are healthy. I've been to Children's hospital. I've been to one of the poorest areas of Africa where AIDS runs rampant. I've had friends who's kids have had some pretty big challenges. Sure, we've had some little obstacles along the way, but I never just stop and think how blessed we are to have 3 healthy kids.
2. They genuinely care about other people. In a world that becomes more and more self-absorbed, with the worst at this being teen-agers, my girls are pretty amazing. Although they sure don't mind making a few bucks here and there, I have seen them babysit for free many times. When mission opportunities come up at church, they are pretty much the first names on the sign up sheet.
3. They make good choices. More and more I am seeing my girls lose friends. I know...this doesn't sound like a good thing. But as friends that they are extremely close to start to make bad choices, the girls don't want any part of it. They don't abandon these friends. I have seen them try to influence them in really positive ways. But by not following the crowd, SR&E often find themselves home on a Friday night hanging out with the family and our friends. (I'm not complaining about this in the slightest!)
4. They aren't boy-crazy. I see my kids' friends float from relationship to relationship, with lots of heart-ache and what's the point? Why are we so anxious to let 15 year old kids date? Somehow parents think that it is just a right of passage and a natural thing to do. I have been praying for my girl's husbands (if they are meant to get married someday) since I rocked them as babies. They are out there someplace and the girls will meet them someday. But is there really any point for them to "practice" relationships at this stage in their life? They have lots of "guy friends" and have a lot of fun hanging out in groups. I just don't see why we need to allow, or even encourage as some parents do, our teens to get into relationships where they are going to become emotionally, physically, and spiritually attached to someone at this age. (as you can see, I am pretty passionate about this one. Might be a whole blog entry one day...) Thankfully, this is not a battle we have had to fight at our house. Yet.
5. My kids are fun. I genuinely LOVE hanging out with them. They have the best senses of humor and crack me up regularly. When I am in another room listening to the 3 of them, they are still silly, playful kids. I love the last day of school in June and grow sad as the first day of school approaches, because I would rather have them home. We are going to Florida in June, just the 5 of us. And I can't wait!
6. They are growing TOWARDS God. I hate making this just another point in my list, because it is the most important. My kids are not happy when something prevents them from going to church or youth group. They regularly choose church over other things. But it's not just that, because I'm sure other kids think church is fun or entertaining and therefore choose it. It's the Bible that I occasionally find laying open in their rooms. It's stories I hear from their youth leaders about them praying with other people. It's about them pursuing other kids who are lost. It's about them choosing to be baptized.

Please know that I am not just making a list to brag about my kids. (Although I know I am often guilty of that). I am looking at this list and thinking that I have totally taken them for granted. My kids have lived this way so long and so consistently that I just assume it is "normal". It's not. I can look around at other kids and see it isn't. I take all these traits for granted and I rarely stop and thank the One who created them. It is not often enough that I tell SR&E just how amazing they are and that I appreciate the women they are becoming. I focus on the messy rooms and the C's that I want to be A's and B's.

My advice....sit down and make a list like this. What are you totally taking for granted in your kids? I'm guessing I'm not alone in this.