Like the farmer, parents sow seeds. We plant seeds for growth in character and values. We sow rituals to foster traditions. Our children’s hearts are the soil. Sometimes it is rocky. Sometimes shallow. Other times our seeds compete with the thorns of bad habits and negative culture. But there is always the HOPE that some seed will fall on good soil. We need to be faithful to continue sowing seeds AND nurture the soil.
Traditions are something that develop deep in our family root system. They get built up over a long period. They take time and repetition, and we have to trust the seeds.
In our imperfect world with our imperfect parenting, we won’t always get it right. Our conversations are far from Mary Poppins’ spoonful of sugar. Parenting fails are expected. However, every time we do it wrong (which we will) we have a chance to ask for forgiveness and start over. Each day is a new start and opportunity to plant new seeds.
Parents, we are planting seeds in our children every day of their lives. The harvest will come, but we just don’t know when. Sometimes is shows up quickly (crawling, talking, walking). Sometimes the harvest of talents or values does not come until well after children leave home. So, from age 0 to 18, our job is to plant many seeds and nurture what we can to “fill them up” so that when our kids start their our journey, they don’t start on empty.
