Sometimes...

Sometimes in the midst of it all there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Sometimes in the midst of the rain there is a rainbow. Sometimes in the midst of a storm there is calmness. And sometimes, in the trenches (as I call it) of raising your children, there is hope. Niko, my first and most strong willed child I have, always seems to show his no so lovely qualities. Being the oldest he is always the one to get in trouble it seems, more than anybody else. His personality is one that needs a lot of attention. This coming from being the first one on my side of the family and staying in that place alone for two entire years. For two entire years he had a dotting mommy and a very proud daddy who pictures him playing basketball for him one day. For two entire years he had a yiayia and papou who solely lived for being with him every minute of every day! And for two entire years he had a Titi and Uncle who would fight over who would hug him first! This is how he spent his first couple of years of life. So when other siblings and cousins entered the picture, he didn't know what to do with himself. And so because of all this I find myself always disciplining him more than the others as he is the grumpiest in the morning, the one who spanks everyone in the house, and the one who just likes to get others upset with his words. Although all my children behave like this at one time or other in the day, he seems to be the one who will give me all my grays-I have none yet! Anyways, back to my trenches. The other day when picking up Niko and Athena from school, Niko eagerly shared with me his work as he usually does on Fridays. And one particular assignment caught my eye. It actually got me all chocked up. Here is a child that both his father and I have spent countless of hours loving, disciplining, teaching, and guiding the best we know how. And as parents you don't know what is actually sticking and actually working. You just pray daily for your children and do the best you can and hope that your children love you and grow up to be wonderful human beings who love the Lord, and if they admire you enough to do what you have done with your life, than that's an added bonus. On this Friday Niko shared with me his dream. Although simple and childlike-duh he is a child-his dream reaffirms  that somewhere somehow, we as parents have taught him something wonderful, something valuable. And though it's just a little art project, I choked up because this particular child of mine has received A LOT of one-on-one in the skill and love of basketball. As parents we smile proudly and thank God for blessing us with a VERY strong-willed child who will one day be sometime great. He has to, because all these times of grief, crying, yelling, screaming, will have gone to waste! (Just Kidding) Hug your child today. These are the moments when they "like" us and want to be "like" us that will fade for a little bit, and we will have wished for these moments back.