To the Parents of My Kids’ Friends: Thank You

During this holiday season, I always try to find something “new” to be Thankful for.  A new friendship. A new recipe my whole family loves. It doesn’t have to be something big like “good health” or “a roof over my head.” Just something that will help me enjoy this season and to not take what I have for granted.

This year, it hit me right between the eyes!

I am thankful for the parents of my kids’ friends!

I was cleaning up after about 15 Sophomores had been at our home. Our second son, Dylan, had these friends over one lazy Saturday to “binge watch” scary movies. These wonderful teenagers came to our house (with donuts) at about 10 am. They proceeded to lay around watching scary movies, like Silence of the Lambs and The Blair Witch Project, while laughing, gasping, discussing and generally having a great time! They did this “activity” until about 7pm…lots of pizza, pop and chips were consumed in this time frame!

As they entered my house, they all took off their shoes and said “Hi, Mrs. Whiddon.” During the day, they picked up after themselves and when they needed something, they said “please” and “thank you.”  The last boy to leave even TOOK OUT MY TRASH with my son! I about cried!  I LOVE THESE KIDS!

However, I can’t give all the credit to the teenagers. Behind every good kid/ teenager there is a parent or two who have taught their kids how to behave around others. They taught them to have manners even when the parents weren’t there to remind them. They taught them to be kind to others. They taught them to respect other peoples’ things. They taught them to be gracious human beings!

So, to all the parents of all my kids’ friends (and there are a lot)…. THANK YOU!!!

Thank you for nagging after them to put their dirty dishes away. Thank you for teaching them to take their shoes off when at other people homes. Thank you for teaching them to say “Hi” to adults. Thank you for raising kids that I want to be around! Thank you for teaching your kids to behave how I teach my kids. Thank you for raising young people that I am proud to have in my child’s life.

THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

It also hit me just how thankful I am for these parents on another level. I am thankful to them for being MY friends!

After years (decades even) of school parties, carpools, cheering on teams and navigating parenthood together, these parents are some of my closest and dearest friends! We’ve laughed together. Cried together. Planned together. Received advice from each other.  Basically…we’ve “grown up” together!

If we were given the chance, we would love to have the same lazy Saturday of binging on our favorite movies or shows….

…. but we’d bring wine instead of donuts!

 

Cyndra Whiddon
Cyndra is a Wichita Native, mother of 4, wife of one busy MD and volunteer to many! She loves to workout, read, run, spend time with her kids and have dates with her husband. She is an RN but hung that hat up in 2001 to become a full time stay at home mom. Her favorite, hardest, most demanding, rewarding job has been being a Mom.