Rush of Hard Work Behind You

“There’s a price you pay for going uphill. Right now me and Spence are totally exhausted. But then there’s a reward for going uphill. And that’s what we’re going to experience now. Here we go…”

This is a video from my friend Ken Davis. He’s biking down a Tennessee road. What a rush!

Work is tough. Parenting is sometimes exhausting. Taking care of the family can be tiring work. The biker must feel the temptation to turn and go back. Do parents? But there is a crest in the hill. You’ll crest it soon. That’s when the fun starts. The rush. What fun!

We went out to eat a couple weeks ago with a younger couple who had seven children 9 and under. They probed us for advice. They see joy in our life, and they want the same in their family. Really, we are having so much fun with a household of teenagers; life is so good right now.

But we remember when they were all little ones running around. The truck up the hill is tough in those years. But it does get better. And it’s well worth the hard work now.

JenT

Thanks for this post. We’re just getting into the teen years (our oldest just turned 13) and I think I’m getting a glimpse of what it can be.
Kimberly

I appreciate the post, Chris. As I write this, my 4 week old daughter is asleep in my lap–the only place she will sleep–she wakes up crying every time I lay her in the bassinette. She is our first, and my husband and I have been praying for many little blessings from the Lord, but we’re also finding out exactly how difficult parenthood really is! It’s reassuring to know that this stage won’t last forever–and that we will sleep again!
God Bless you! :0)

Erica

Hi Kimberly. I just had my 5th child 6 weeks ago, my 3rd little girl. And she sleeps MUCH better than my first child. Hang in there. She will learn to sleep eventually. I remember those days! They pass by too quickly and that child that woke up every 45 minutes will be 8 this year. Congratulations on your baby girl and may God richly bless your family

Anonymous

Well said- our oldest will be 7 soon and we are already finding out how fun they are!!
Kim

Good post! When my4 children were very young I so enjoyed having little ones around, yes there was a definite kind of crazy to those days ….truthfully they passed by too quickly. Back then I dreaded the teen years because I saw few around me I liked … selfishness, rudeness, disrespect seem to be the norm. We chose a different path then most and Home School our children. Spending time together as a family is a high priority and we are seeing the great rewards of our investment of love and time into their lives. I greatly enjoy my teens (3 at the moment, 13, 14, & 16) and their friends. They have become a help and a joy to me. We are so loving our journey of parenting that we have now become Foster Parents and are starting the the process all over again with having little ones around. The Lord is Good and Faithful! As we commit our family daily to Him, we see His blessings and mercy … enjoy the journey, it’s a wild ride full of ups and downs, but oh, so worth it!

Anonymous

We remember your kids when they were little!

Anonymous

I remember when our oldest two kids were 3 and 4 (10 month separation) and we had an infant. The oldest two had just entered the jealousy phase of their relationship and I constantly had either the infant crying or the girls. Those were LONG days but boy once the girls got out of the jealousy phase (about a year and a half later) the fun really started!
Sargents

Thank you for posting this. We all need encouragement to keep on keepin’ on at times. We have 9 children, and the oldest 3 are 16, 15, and 13. All I can say is I am so glad we didn’t stop having children when we felt it was too hard. Honestly, it WAS too hard! But it’s okay, it doesn’t stay that way forever. And now I dearly miss those years behind us, as I see how quickly they do grow up.
Jane

Hard for the older daughters who end up taking care of their younger siblings.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1346304757 Tisha Jones Deutsch

I remember Mrs. Duggar once saying that life was harder when they had just a few small children than it is for them now – with 19! I was reminded of that when we were picking your brains for advice over dinner. That evening was very enlightening to us and we walked a way with a renewed, higher vision for our parenting and a fresh perspective and appreciation for our children. Thank you for encouraging us to love each of our children well, to accept them as they are, and to let go of unrealistic expectations. This season will soon pass, and we will miss it. Blessings to the Jeubs ~
Sandra

that looked like fun!
Amber A

I was just thinking about this last week. Our oldest will turn 13 this may. Our 7th baby will be born in July lol life is crazy! there are days I just feel like “If I can just make it to bed time….” or days that I feel like I have ran in circles all day getting nothing really done. It doesn’t’ help when family members, parents, etc. say my house is messed up or that dirty. It just makes you ask yourself “why bother? why do I try??” but then I look at those little faces and see why. my 2 oldest, 12 and 9 are abel to help now, even just with entertaining the kids so I can clean in peace for a few minutes. I see the top of the hill, it is getting closer, not there yet but I can see it. I know one day my house will be cleaner, less toys laying around, less finger prints on windows and walls, and no paint on the furniture. those days will be quieter too, less little kids running around, grabing me, giving me wet kisses, hanging on my legs, I won’t even have to lock the frig or pantry anymore. Those days are coming oh so quickly. I want to enjoy every moment with these little heathens that trash my house, because they give the best kisses and snuggles. lol