As parents their are so many milestones we reach in raising our kids. Obviously, the first big memorable moment is when you take your child home from the hospital. The euphoria of bringing your little bundle of joy home is quickly replaced by crying, dirty diapers, and sleepless nights. It's easy to look back at the first day home as the only great day of being a parent. In due time life gets into a more comfortable rhythm and soon you are on top of the next big day. The day your child takes his first steps. Your so excited that you don't realize that you now have to pick everything up to keep the new little track star from grabbing everything in the house. Then comes kindergarten followed by the first day of high school and all of a sudden it's graduation day. It really goes by that fast, but is it over at that point?
Dealing with the milestones in our kid's lives is no different than the milestones in any life. It's great to celebrate your child's first steps but you also have to press on to the next challenge or your kid will never learn to speak. Just like it's great to celebrate getting that job you always wanted, but if you don't get busy with the job you won't have it long. In my home the 2013-2014 school year is going to be one for marking major milestones. In May the wife and I will watch as one Son graduates 8th grade and the other Son graduates from High School. We will find many ways to celebrate and make memories of the occasion and make a big fuss over the boys. Then after the festivities it will be time to tell the boys, "great job, now get on with the next challenge in your life." One will face High School and the other College, but if we only live in the moments of May 2014 neither one will succeed in their next challenge. And that is where the danger lays. If graduating from school is the greatest accomplishment in one's life then there will be little or no emphasis put on the next challenge ahead. If you let a child make a single accomplishment as the end of his challenges in life then he has met the end of his ability to make himself better.
If you've anointed some day as the greatest day of you life then you've lost all reasons to strive for something better. You basically stop in mid-life. All the work you put into your resume to get that dream job shouldn't end because you accomplished one goal. If you work non-stop to catch a young lady's attention then ignore her after she says, "I do", you won't stay married for long. Everything in this life requires work to keep up and maintain. That goes for relationships, raising kids, jobs, and lifestyle. If you rest on your laurels opportunities will pass you by at lightning speed. It's great to celebrate big milestones. It builds confidence and self esteem. But please don't let a milestone become a stopping point in your life. If you live in the past then the future doesn't hold anything for you. Always strive to make the next day the greatest day of your life. With that attitude the future will always be bright.
