Parenting – how do you know you’re getting it right?

When you find out you’re pregnant, you wonder what sort of parent you will be.  When your child arrives, you wonder what sort of character they will be.  As they grow, you wonder if you are getting this parenting job right.

Is your parenting helping your child to be confident in their ability?

Is your parenting helping your child to be confident with their peers?

Is your parenting helping your child to let others see all those amazing things that make them unique?

Is your parenting helping your child to develop their own personality and thoughts?

We may read every book on parenting, we may read none.  We may have a child with special needs, we may not.  We may have twins, we may have triplets.  We may have several children, we may have one.

I know that we often wonder if our parenting is what we hope it is.  Friends and family may tell us that we are good parents but we’re human and have doubts.  We also know that we sometimes get it wrong.

Today, however, we received some confirmation that perhaps we are getting it right from an unexpected source.  Confirmation that our son is developing into a boy who not only fills us with pride and makes us cry with laughter, but also has a pretty amazing effect on others too.

At my son’s school, they did a Secret Santa but with a difference.  No gifts were purchased but instead, each child had to write about things they liked about the child they had chosen.

This is what my son’s Secret Santa friend wrote about him (and yes, I cried with pride and also pure admiration)

Your great smile isn’t fake.  You have a big smile not one of those small rubbish smiles that are fake instead you make the world smile back at you because you deserve it.  You’re the person who deserves it all.

You’re a happy boy because the people around you are having fun and playing and you are just happy that they’re having fun.  Jamie you still are happy right now, you’ve always been happy.

Jamie, you are cheerful because you hear people laughing and being joyful and then you decide in going to be like them too.  Everywhere you go you always be cheerful and joyful

You are very giggly because other people laugh and you giggle because you want to shim but Jamie, I already know a fact, you are that person who shines.

You try your best, because in braille you are nearly the only person who brailles in the whole school.  People like you very much because some people say “I would like to learn braille as well” I know I do anyway.

You’re incredibly kind because you make people laugh like me, you did once with a joke.  You care about everyone as well.

You have a really good acting because in our Christmas play you speak loud and clear and you are really good, like you stomp when you are mad in the play.

Have a jolly Christmas

from

Secret Santa

As Christmas presents go, this will go down as one of those that will never be forgotten.  Priceless.