Heart's desire

THIS IS MY ENTRY TO THE 5TH EDITION OF PINOY PARENTING BLOG CARNIVAL HOSTED BY Guardian Angel. I can't help myself getting teary-eyed while writing this post. Thank you for the invitation to write once more for PPBC.

*************************

Everyday, I ask myself, what the future holds for my son. I guess I speak for all the parents out there who is yet to see their kid grow to become the person that they will be.

So how do we actually mold them to be great persons? How do we see them 20 years from now? Will my son become a doctor or would he rather be an engineer and build the world's finest buildings? Should we let our kid choose their path to success or must we lead them to the path that we think is best for them?

Whenever I see the world as it is -- cynical, competitive, deceiving, fast-paced, sometimes to the extent of non-caring -- I fear about how my son will face the cruelties that life can bring. It is that fear that I somehow bring different ideas in mind on how I should raise up my son, what to teach him, what he should do, what he should be when he grows up.

I want him to have the best education and be really good in school. I want him to be able to finish college and get a degree that his generation will need. An engineer perhaps, or a computer professional who can work his way up to the corporate ladder. I want him to excel as well in sports. It may be his ticket to fame and his assurance of financial freedom. I want him on top of all things to be active in church and find the ministry to which he can be of service to God.

The thing is, those are the things I WANT.....

And as much as I want all of those for him, I realized that above everything else, I WANT my son to be HAPPY. Which leads me to the realization that his dreams must be set on his own terms, his own will.

The truth is, he should grow up doing the things HE WANTS to do....

Does that mean letting him do anything? Of course not. That's where we come in. We teach him what is right from wrong. We teach him the importance of honesty, respect, faith and love. We let him grow in an environment that allows sharing of ideas and emotions but not forgetting to set rules and limitations. We emphasize the fact that as much as he can choose his own future, we are there to make sure that his decisions are not clouded and that he will know how to weigh things in his own way.

I just want him to grow up knowing God's love.
I just want him to grow up knowing how we

would do everything to give him the best.
I just want him to grow up knowing that we trust him enough

for him to follow his own dreams.

And I'm sure the rest will be history.