Mom Looks at Son's Dirty Finger Nails in Senior Picture, Knows She Raised Good Man
Parents often wonder if they’re raising their kids right. Despite what our children may believe, we don’t have it all figured out.
As a child, I found myself looking at the designer shoes and brand name backpacks my friends wore to school.
Why couldn’t I have a cool pair of Sketchers or Converse? Why did we have to buy my backpack at Walmart instead of from Anchor Blue?
But over the years, my perspective changed. I became a mom and realized how hard my parents worked to provide what we had.
When others were going out to eat, we were eating leftovers. Again. But I’m grateful because my childhood taught me to appreciate everything I have now.
Moms especially tend to beat themselves up. With the constant “mom shaming” that goes on across social media, our current culture would have mothers question whether their parenting is good enough.
Cassandra Lane of Sheridan, Arkansas, is one of those moms. On July 13 she posted a photo of her son’s hands.
The hands pictured in the photo are no class ring. The fingernails are dirty and Lane began to wonder if she had given her son, Zeke, everything he needed.
The story she tells in her caption is emotional and heartfelt. Lane tells of the day she took Zeke to get his senior photos taken.
When she noticed his dirty fingernails, Lane began to cry. “Earlier this week we went to get Zeke’s senior yearbook pictures,” she begins. “On the way, I noticed his hands. Working hands.”
Lane goes on to talk about the other kids waiting in line for photos. How they sported letterman jackets and class rings.
She began to compare herself to the other moms. After spending some time thinking about all she never gave Zeke, she apologized to him.
But it’s Zeke’s response that will encourage any mom who reads Lane’s post. “Why are you sorry?” Zeke said.
“Because you’ve taught me to work hard for things I want?” he went on. “Because I know the value of a dollar? Because I’m not going to think that I deserve to have everything I want?”
Lane ends her post with an encouragement for any mom who can relate to how she felt. “If you’re struggling with the parenting comparison game, just know that God gave you the babies you have because he wanted you … to be their mama. Not someone else.”
Powerful and inspiring words every mama who doubts herself ought to hear. Thanks for the encouragement today, Cassandra. I think I speak for all the moms out there when I say it was much needed.
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