One night after I had already tucked the kids into bed, my daughter came back downstairs to get a glass of water.

She filled her glass then walked over to me and gave me a hug.

She held on for a little while.

And before she let go, she whispered,

“Dear Lord, Thank you for Mommy and Daddy and my brother.”

It was one of those mom-moments where you’re caught off guard in the sweetest way.

It was such a neat thing to see something we try to do regularly with our kids (pray together) become something she did on her own.

Her youth pastor talked about this in a parent meeting a while ago. He gave an analogy that I loved, saying that raising a child is a lot like teaching them to ride a bike. For a while you run behind them, pushing them and holding on tight.

And at some point, you start to let go.

Slowly.

Tentatively.

You might even run beside them, your hands on the handlebars or the back of the seat, just in case, hoping they’ll remember what you’ve taught them about balance and putting on the breaks and watching where they’re going. READ MORE over at The Mom Initiative…