Little Family, Big Values by The Roloff Family & Tracy Sumner

Author:The Roloff Family & Tracy Sumner
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Published: 2007-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

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Matt says:

A big part of building family pride is making sure that you let those who are close to you know that you are proud of who they are and what they do.

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FEELING MY SON’S PRIDE THAT I’M “MOM”

Amy

I don’t think there is any better feeling for a mother than to know that your son not only loves you but is also proud to call you “Mom” in front of his friends. That, more than anything, is how I want my children to see me and respond to me when their friends are around.

For the most part, that is the kind of acceptance, love, and family pride I feel coming from my kids. Sure, there are times when they want to have some time with their buddies away from the prying eyes and ears of Mom and Dad. But there are also plenty of times when they tell and show their friends that I’m their mom, that they love me, and that they’re proud to be a part of the Roloff family.

I remember well an example of that. Zachary was in the living room with his friends, just talking the way teenagers talk. These were boys he had known—and so had I—since kindergarten. Having never been a sixteen-year-old boy myself, I was curious what they were talking about. It wasn’t like I was eavesdropping or “butting in” (although I have been known to do that from time to time); I openly walked in the room and sat down and listened in. Zachary knew that I was listening—after all, he could see that I was there—but he didn’t respond like so many teenagers do. He didn’t try to brush me off or tell me to leave him and his friends alone so they could engage in teenager talk. Instead, he allowed me to listen in and even included me in the conversation.

I enjoyed listening and even offering my two cents to Zachary’s friends…when the timing seemed right. After all, as his mom I’m always concerned about what kind of friends he has, and luckily, they are good kids, just like my son. But what I enjoyed more was what Zachary said to me later on: “Mom, you did great!”

I didn’t quite know what to make of that. All I did was sit and listen to some teenaged boys talking, and that didn’t seem like anything so great to me. I wanted to know what he meant, so I asked him.

Zachary smiled at me and said, “You came in and didn’t start asking questions or saying a lot too soon. You just hung out like you were one of our friends.”

There was something very gratifying to me about having my son tell me, in so many words, that he was proud of me. I know that I’ve always made it a point to tell the kids that I’m proud of them when they do or say good things or when they demonstrate a good attitude about something.

I want that to be a two-way street, though.

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