Although it may not always be easy to see, parenting truly is the most beautiful gift that we will ever receive in this lifetime. It comes with many strong emotions and responsibilities, but it also brings so much joy. Despite the challenges, though, I wouldn’t trade in my “parent card” for anything else in this world.

When you become a parent, you’re entrusted with tiny lives that you have the power to shape. You not only provide your children with the most basic needs, but you also feed their minds and mold them into the people that they ultimately become. 

We pour our hearts and souls into our children from their first breaths until our last. We show them the wonders of the world and shelter them from wickedness for as long as we can. We read them stories and teach them how to process their emotions. We model interpersonal interactions and show them what unconditional love looks like.

However, parenting sometimes feels like a constant feeding frenzy, but there’s beauty in the madness, too. The parent life feels like a constant balancing act at times, and sometimes it feels like you can never keep it all from crashing down. Sometimes we stumble and fall, but it’s in those moments that we learn and grow with our children. 

In fact, our children provide us with many beautiful gifts just because they’re alive. They force us to become bold, brave warriors who willingly dive into battle on their behalf. We grow and develop better spending habits so that we can better provide for them. We fine-tune our culinary skills or find ways to make meal planning easier. We transform into new, better humans just because of our children.

Sure, there are moments when parenting looks neither beautiful nor like a gift. But then, there are the moments when our sweet children fall asleep on our laps after we read a bedtime story, and we remember that parenting is incredibly beautiful and rewarding. Being a parent truly is the most beautiful gift, and I feel so thankful I was fortunate enough to receive it.

As our children age, our relationship with them will change as well. But it doesn’t matter if they’re 2, 10, or 24. What does matter is that parents always carry their children deep inside their hearts. My daughters will always be my babies, and being a parent will always be the most beautiful gift I have ever received.