The roots & fruits (& crapshoot)
of deliberate parenting
Why Raising Lemons?
When I was 15, I attended a church activity where parents were asked to bring an item that represented their daughters. All the other parents brought flowers- roses, daisies, and tulips- for their beautiful, delicate daughters. Not my mom, she brought a LEMON- yes, a lemon- to represent me.
Was she calling me a piece of junk? Was I sour? I was mortified and just wanted to be a flower like every other girl. Then she read the letter she wrote
explaining her lemon choice. She noted that the lemon stands out amongst all the fruit because it is the brightest. The lemon cleans, and preserves, and takes away foul odors. Plus it makes a refreshing drink and yummy desserts.
By the end of the letter, I wasn’t sure if I was more proud of my mom- for being thoughtful- or me- for being a lemon. Now I am raising my own kids with the hope that they will be lemons too.
Meet Tiffany
Hey! My name is Tiffany. My roots are in a small town and a big family. I grew up wanting to be anything but a mother- a fashion designer, Olympic volleyball player, teacher, lawyer, politician, college professor …. But somehow I ended up being a stay-at-home mom to 4 little squirts. It was a difficult decision for me to stay home because I felt like my talents were outside of motherhood but I knew I needed to be home. My life is basically the daily grind with a little love and joy squeezed in. I am a student at heart and now I am a student of parenting. I read about it, think about it, and pray about it. I try my best and just hope I don’t mess my kids up too much. This blog is a place for me to record my thoughts, ideas, and actions so that maybe one day when my kids look back, they will know their mom did the best she could.
Beautiful, luscious fruit does not grow unless the roots of the tree have been planted in rich, fertile soil and unless care is given to proper pruning, cultivation, and irrigation…
–Harold B. Lee
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