Here Comes the Bride

“Little girls are really kind of nice
Especially when they put their
Arms around your neck
And hug you tight.

And sometimes only daddies
Can tuck them in at night
Fix their dolls and broken toys
And help them ride a bike.”

(From the book “Bits and Pieces From my Mind”
By Connie L Hawkins written for daughter, Heidi)

Our little girl is grown and in fact getting married this month.
Planning a wedding reminds me what an
important job parenting is. It’s not an easy job.
Training them up in the way they should go
means using tough love and making sure the
word ‘no’ is never misunderstood. Sometimes it
means traveling down their path to see where they are
coming from or where they are going.

I remember in the heat of an argument my daughter telling me,
“Why can’t you just treat me like a friend?” To which I responded, “You
Have plenty of friends; but only one mother.” And nothing has changed.
So many parents try to be a friend to their kids when what they need
most are a mom and a dad – parents presenting a united front.

I hate that phrase, “I’m just a homemaker” -- it is THEE most important
job you’ll ever do, pleasing in God’s eyes! I wish for my daughter a
happy life. I know she’ll be a terrific wife and a great mother. After
all she had a good role model and I had a great teacher--my mom!

(This article is also scheduled to appear in the June issue of His Banner Newspaper)