I Thought I Was Raising Him. Turns Out, He Was Teaching Me.

I want to start off by saying—if you are a first-time Mom, you need to read the book - "What Do I Do With My Baby All Day?"

This book was incredibly encouraging and lighthearted. It gave me so many ideas for what to do with your one-and-only baby at home when you have absolutely no idea what you are doing.

And also… when time seems to just be dragging by with your cute little bundle who can't talk to you.

While I was reading the book—and still reflecting on it now—I realized something:

My baby actually taught me some pretty powerful lessons that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

Lesson One: Time

For babies, time isn't even a thing.

All they know is right here and right now.

They aren't calculating how long of a nap they had or how many hours they slept last night.

They aren't wondering how long it takes to eat.

They aren't thinking and analyzing how long it takes to drive somewhere.

They are the very definition of BEING.

And maybe you could be that too?

What if you stopped trying so hard to be something, and just allowed yourself to be?

Lesson Two: Tiredness

Yes, babies get cranky when they are tired.

But they don't associate being tired with being cranky—and vice versa.

They just wait to be put to bed.

Or sometimes, they just fall asleep wherever they are.

And then they wake up the next day and completely forget about it.

So here's the thing:

Just because you are tired today doesn't mean it needs to be a BAD day.

You will get caught up.

You will sleep again.

You will have more energy again.

Just trust.

Which brings me to...

Lesson Three: Trust

Babies just trust that you know what you are doing and that you will take care of them.

They don't have anyone else to compare you to—which, honestly, is good news for all of us on those hard parenting days.

They trust they will get fed.

They trust they will sleep.

They trust they will be loved.

They don't sit there wondering if everything is going to work out.

They just trust.

What would happen if we trusted like that again?

Sure, there is adulting to be done.

Bills need to be paid. Work needs to be done. Meals need to be made. Problems need to be solved.

But so many times, we also need to just trust that God will meet our needs.

Maybe we don't need to have everything figured out before we can have peace.

Maybe we can just trust that we are being taken care of.

Lesson Four: Little Things Are a Big Deal

Never before have I realized that little things are such a big deal—in the best way.

When they finally hold a bottle on their own for the first time.

When they take their first wobbly step.

When they eat their first foods.

When they finally latch on properly.

As a parent, witnessing those things in your own child feels like a really, really big deal.

Because it is.

It's progression.

And progression—even in the tiniest ways—is such a joy to witness.

What do we do when we see our baby do something for the first time?

We cheer.

We clap.

We get excited.

We take pictures.

We tell everyone about it.

We celebrate them like they just accomplished something incredible.

Because to us, they did.

So how come we don't do that anymore as adults?

Why don't we celebrate ourselves for the little things?

For getting through a hard day.

For finally making the phone call we've been putting off.

For taking the first step toward something new.

For getting out of bed when we really didn't feel like it.

For making progress, even when it feels painfully slow.

The little things we do every single day are actually big things when you look at the grand scheme of our lives.

Maybe we just forgot how to celebrate them.

And maybe my little boy is reminding me. Lesson Five: You Don't Need To Know When I became a Mom, I thought I was supposed to know what I was doing.

I thought there would be some point where I would finally feel like I had it all figured out.

But my son has taught me that maybe that's not the point.

He doesn't know what's coming tomorrow. He doesn't know where we're going when we get in the car.

And yet, he is perfectly content to live today.

He doesn't need to know what's coming next in order to enjoy what's happening right now.

And maybe I don't either.

Maybe life isn't about having every next step figured out.

Maybe it's about trusting God with the parts we can't see, being present for the parts we can, and remembering to celebrate the little things along the way.

I started this year thinking I was going to teach my son how to live.

Instead, somehow, this little boy has been teaching me.

And I think that's one of the greatest gifts motherhood has given me.