As parents, from our very first childbirth class all the way to college tours, we connect  and commiserate with other parents. With knowing glances and “I hear ya” chuckles, we know what each other is going through at the time, whether our children are at the same stage or if we have survived that phase years ago. Unlike our parents who shared stories over the fence or on the phone, today we text, email or tweet the trials and tribulations of parenthood.

This past week, one of the most e-mailed pieces from the New York Times was titled “The Passion of Parenting.”  Its author, a single dad, described the difficulty of watching your children mature, knowing that they will soon be leaving home. Ultimately, he states that parenting is a tough job and children must “grow up and go away and that is how it should be.” As an almost empty nester, I could relate to the article and shared it on Facebook.

Today, on Veterans Day, though, I can’t stop recalling the “how it should be” part of the essay and thinking of the military parents who have a much more difficult job as their young adult children achieve their dreams. They summon extraordinary strength to support their children’s decisions, knowing that they will be separated for long periods of time and in harm’s way. They stay strong at home, keeping the faith while their children put their lives on the line for the safety of all our children. And tragically, some parents pay the ultimate sacrifice when a son or daughter is lost while serving.

Each day we post on a myriad of parenting topics, but today realize that nothing can compare to the challenge of being a military mom or dad.

Please honor these parents and their children who choose to fight for all of us, by keeping them in your thoughts and prayers always.

Tags: military families, parents, Veterans Day

This entry was posted on Monday, November 11th, 2013 at 4:05 am and is filed under Uncategorized. Both comments and pings are currently closed.