On Not Being the Cool Mom

I have no idea why this thought keeps agitating around in my brain today. Maybe just a combination of things I've read/seen/heard lately that worry me.

The thought is this:  I have no desire to be "the cool Mom", which I suppose could be defined a million different ways, but for the purpose of this post, let's assume it's the one who tells her children to follow their hearts and do whatever makes them happy. God help me (and those around me) if I had always been allowed to do whatever made me happy throughout my life. I probably wouldn't be alive to tell about it.

By definition, my job and purpose as a Mom is to teach my children that their hearts will not always be right (and often times even wicked) and that sometimes the choice that makes them happy in the moment could cause serious negative consequences in the future.

I do hope my children will love me and respect me and yes, even ENJOY me. But since they are children, and God gave them to me to love and protect and TEACH, I have to assume we will disagree many times throughout the years. In these moments, I hope many things, none of which include being "cool" enough to encourage them to do whatever they want.

I hope to impart wisdom.

I hope to disagree (when needed) graciously, patiently, and always with the Gospel as my foundation.

I hope to never leave my children wondering where I stand on matters of truth or from where I draw these positions (hopefully always from Scripture).

I hope to have the strength and courage to allow them to make their own decisions, but I pray for their openness in seeking my input even when they don't act on my advice.

I hope to never say "I told you so," but to always be holding my arms open wide when their decisions lead to difficulty.

I hope to be truthful but never judgmental.

I hope to be welcoming but never enabling.

I hope to represent the Gospel well in the way I handle differences of opinion.

I hope to be quick to listen and slow to react.

I hope to be joyful and whimsical and energetic enough to be fun to spend time with, but firm enough in my convictions to stand for truth over "coolness."

That's what I got for now. Don't know why this is buggin' me today, but I felt like I needed to put it out there. For what it's worth. . .