I held in my arms the result of so many hopes and dreams. Here was this treasure, this gift that had been added to our lives. She was perfect, and I was determined to be the best mommy ever.
And then she had her first growth spurt. Sweet little coos and gurgles turned to weeping and wailing. What seemed like the longest six days ever ended just as quickly as they had begun.
It was a big learning curve. All of my preparation—the parenting classes, the books, the conversations with friends who had traveled down this road—would never replace the actual act of being a parent.
One of my biggest lessons was that it is okay to fail. I don’t see it as failure. I know that every time I turn to God—in good times and in challenging times—I am teaching someone important to me a very valuable lesson.
This message was adapted from “Growing Pains” by Nancy Goldberger that appeared in the April 2002 issue of Lutheran Woman Today (now Gather) magazine.
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