It is not your imagination…raising children is an incredible amount of work….

I had the opportunity a couple of weeks ago to take Graham and Emmett to the play park at their local mall while Rachel did a quick shopping exchange of some Christmas items.

As we headed away from her, she was calling out last minute instructions. One was “And they can’t climb up on top of the house”….ok…that seemed reasonable. And since we all heard her, I thought it would not be a problem.

I had barely deposited two little pairs of shoes in the cubby area, when I saw Graham scooting up the side of the house because some girl was perched up on the chimney and hey, why not, right?

Emmett had disappeared into the bowels of some contraption that housed a slide so I yanked Graham down from the house, repeated his mother’s instructions and headed off to check on Emmett.

He was standing at the top of the slide being kicked in the face by the girl who had previously been on the chimney. Somehow she had gotten across the playground and was now lying face first, basically upside down and holding her position for dear life.

Meanwhile, several moms sat chatting along the outer edges, nursing babies and casually calling out biblical names in an effort to maintain order.

It wasn’t working.

I texted Rachel that things were intense on the play park and requested backup.

She must not have heard her phone….

Seriously, being a parent is just a lot of work and we need to remember that and encourage young moms and dads.

The days are long. Kids wear you down with their arguments, excuses and chatter.

We from the boomer generation may look all wise and secure right now, but back in the day we were as frazzled as these young parents.

So …. send a card, take a meal, offer to pick up gatorade during flu season…and tell those young parents in your sphere of influence that they are doing a great job!