Worry

I feel like I spend just as much time and energy worrying about parenting stuff as I spend on doing actual parenting stuff. 

Are they sleeping enough?

Are they eating enough?

Have they used the bathroom enough?

Did I brush their teeth well enough?

Am I holding them enough?

Am I holding them too much?

Are they happy/sad/scared/worried?

Am I being too hard on them?

Am I too lenient?

Will they go to good schools?

Are they learning at a typical pace?

How do I teach them to be good people?

How can I help them reach their goals?

How can I help them when they fail?

Am I voting wisely for them? For their peers? 

Natural Disasters?

Global Warming?

Droughts?

Unstable economics? 

Terrorism?

This list is not exhaustive, by any means. 

But I worry. 

I want to wrap them up in a tight little bubble and just let them be young and innocent and carefree forever and ever. 

But the harsh reality is that the bubble won't hold out forever. I worry about teaching them how to face the unpleasant stuff in life and also how to be helpful and compassionate when people need them. With their time, their talents, their resources, their prayers. I worry about the balance between letting them know that sometimes really awful things happen, and helping them to see that there is always love in this world. In family, friends, strangers, first responders, leaders. 

All of this worry. 

All of this love. 

Leave the worrying to me, little ones, for as long as possible.