When it’s 90° inside the bus and your twelve year old wants to sit on your lap, you let your twelve year old sit on your lap. Even if your thighs stick together and a river forms in your cleavage, and the backs of your knees drip. I’ve raised seven kids—this is my youngest. And here’s my piece of wisdom: Most things don’t matter. Traditions matter. Hugs matter. Patience matters. Apologizing when you’re wrong matters. Letting your kids see your humanness matters. Letting them see your vulnerabilities and failures matters. Family meals matter. Putting relationships before being right, or correcting wrongs matters. Helping your children learn that God loves them matters. Actually living your principles matters. The rest of it doesn’t matter. The rest of it is supplemental; peripheral. They’re watching and learning from everything you do and say. They’re choosing to either model themselves after you, or to be nothing like you. If you’re lucky they’ll adopt all of the best of you, and improve on the things that you’ve never been able to get quite right. You’re going to do so much wrong. You’re going to feel like a failure pretty often. But if you’re there, and real, and honest with them? Man… it really matters. 🖤 *shoutout to @maidennewyork for this killa hat ✌️ (Did you know you can shop all my pics by following the link in my bio?) http://liketk.it/3j6uI liketkit @liketoknow.it