It was a regular thing for me to be up for at least two hours, sometimes even longer, every morning between 12 and 4:30 with my daughter. Although the flesh called out for sleep, my heart and fatherly instinct responded with love and affection.
The sound of “Daddy” or “Mummy” at 1 a.m. can push you over the edge at times, but it also presses you i nto action when you realize there is a little girl who believes with all her heart that daddy and mummy have the solutions to all her problems.
It makes me wonder if this is how God wants us to be with him. Call his name over and over and over and over until he responds and believe with all our hearts that He has the answer to every problem. We all live our lives based on the perception of God we carry in our minds.
If we knew at birth that our child would be the next Sir Charles Williams or Sir Kyffin Simpson or Rihanna or Obadele Thompson, I am sure most of us would raise our children differently from how we do now.
I am sure we would sacrifice more, spend time checking and helping them with homework, be their biggest supporter and fan at their sporting activities and make sure they spend more time reading.
We would monitor the amount of time they spend watching television and being on the phone and Internet. We would be very aware of the friends they keep and the places they go. Some of us would cut out the excessive feteing, partying, socializing and dinking and spend time at home with them.
Many of us would start telling them how beautiful and handsome they are; how we are pleased that they are our children; how they have great potential and abilities and how much we love and appreciate them. Some of us would even start hugging them every single morning and night.
Some of us would start putting greater effort in the breakfast, lunch and dinner choices we present to them. We would ensure that they learn how to cook, clean, iron, sweep and do laundry.
We would make sure that they attend church and are rooted in the principles of Christ. We would also ensure they are mannerly, forgiving and kind.
We look at our children and all we see sometimes is a child. Other times we see our past mistakes and hurts as well as how bad-behaved, ill-disciplined, and ungrateful they are.
In reality, all of this may be true, but sometimes our perceptions of who they can be should take preeminence over who they really are.
In reality, you see a cricket ball, but Fidel Edwards sees it as a tool to develop himself, travel the world and represent this nation and region.
In reality, you see a saxophone, but Arturo Tappin sees it as a tool to generate wealth and inspire the nations with his music.
In reality, you see pen and paper, but Rommel Hall sees it as a tool to write the first sitcom in Barbados, Keeping Up With The Joneses.
It’s all about perception versus reality. How you perceive yourself determines how you treat yourself and the same is true for how you treat your children.
Lord, teach us as parents how to love and appreciate our children. Teach us how to be patient, forgiving, principled and kind to them and guide us in the right direction so we can set good examples for them to follow.
Renew our minds that we may see the greatness in them; reform out hearts that we may speak words of life and power over them, and reshape our attitudes that we may be forgiving, understanding and patient with them. Teach us how to say sorry when we know we are wrong and how to humble ourselves and ask for their forgiveness.
Show us how to be firm but fair and consistent yet flexible. Increase our finances that we may adequately provide for them and teach us how to be good stewards of your blessings.
• Corey Worrell is a former Commonwealth youth ambassador. Email coreyworrell@gmail.com.