Blessed and Terrified

I was making dinner earlier tonight and could hear my boys playing together in the other room. It hit me how amazingly blessed I am to have such incredible little people in my life. They are rambunctious and stubborn and they drive me crazy sometimes, but they are adorable and smart and funny and I would do anything for those two boys. And then I am hit with the realization that they are in fact people. I have been given the awesome responsibility of molding the lives of two people. I have a few short years to mold them and set their little feet onto the correct path. Granted, they will soon be making their own decisions in life, but it is up to me now to provide them with the correct guidance and instill in them good morals, work ethics, thoughtfulness, manners, etc., that will carry them throughout their entire lives. There is a dichotomy of wanting to shield them from the bad things in life, and yet making sure they are strong enough to handle the challenges they will face. I want them to be happy always, but I don't want them to think life is easy. I want to provide them with everything they could ever need, but I don't want them to think that they will be handed whatever they want in life without ever having to work hard. Most of all, I want to instill in them a love for God and a good sense of right and wrong, but I don't want them to think they can't come to me when they mess up and make a poor decision.
I love my little boys more than I ever thought possible and I wake up grateful every single day that God felt I was worthy to be their mother. I am so blessed and yet I am not taking this blessing for granted. I know it is a tremendous responsiblity and I hope that I, with all my faults and shortcomings, can rise to the occassion and shape these little boys into wonderful men who someday will contribute great things to society and maybe one day be responsible for their own little people.