Valentines and Love: My Children

Love comes to us in many shapes and I think that love is an appropriate topic for the month of February. Recently, I’ve been thinking about all of the different loves in my life, and I can’t help but think of the love I feel for my children. Love between a parent and child can be a very deep love.

I remember when my children brought me special gifts to share their love for me. There were the hand-made paper cards, the bouquets of dandelions, the hand-painted crafts from Sunday School or summer camp. But one of my absolute favorite gifts came from my daughter in the form of an English project when she was in the seventh grade.

Her assignment was to write about her role model. The students could choose any person, and my daughter chose me. Below is one of the most precious gifts I have ever received.

My Role Model
Tiffany Jarman May 1996

My role model is my mother
For me there is no other.
She has always been there for me
To love me and to care for me.
Many a new thing has she taught me.
She makes friends so easily.
She has so many friends
That the list doesn’t come to an end.
Someone of a different religion or race
Never to them has she shown a mean face.
Some of them have handicaps.
Never has she even thought to give them a laugh.
Some are attracted to others of the same sex.
But she just shrugs and says, “What the heck!
That doesn’t make any difference to me!
All are equal anyway.”
They are just as nice and just as smart,
In her life they play a very important part.
After all, everyone is only human.
She is trying to teach me to make friends as easily as she can
She has taught me many important things
Because of her, I feel as though I have wings.
She has shown me how everything I do fits into real life
She has taught me how to deal with stress and strife.
She has encouraged me to do better and more
With her help, I’ve done better than I’ve ever done before.
She always tries new things and always does her best.
She is so much better than all the rest.
My role model is no other
Than my wonderful, loving mother.

That poem hangs in my kitchen to this day. It is a constant reminder to me of the powerful role we play as parents, and how very blessed I have been to have the love of my two beautiful children. I continue to send them Valentine cards every year to celebrate the love I have for them.