My children were really small and we were visiting my father-in-law's house on a Sunday afternoon. My father-in-law, Ford, was talking with me by the garage about raising children while we watched them play. I distinctly remember him saying, "Wished I knew then, what I know now." As I politely listened to that statement, I was screaming inside my head, "What!?, What is it you know now? Is there some big secret that I need to know that will guarantee my children will do good in life." I then spoke up and asked him. I didn't get an answer to fill the knowledge void he'd just placed in my head. All my little ones who constantly kept me running just to keep up with their needs were still so small I could take some good knowledge and develop it into some good parenting skills. It seemed he would know something important from the wisdom he had gained through years of simply living life. Besides his family had the same dynamics as mine, three boys and then a girl.

About a week ago, on my assembly line job, that statement came up again. It was from a lady named Pat that I work with. She was talking about her life. She'd told me she had lived a hard life. She talked about how her dad was a harsh man. She said when she was a teenager she refused to listen to anyone who would tell her what she needed to do. She told how she married young to the wrong guy and regretted it and then divorced. Then she said it, "Wished I knew then what I know now." So once again, I asked what it meant. She said she really wished she hadn't made all those bad choices in her past.

I thought about her answer. When someone says, "I wished I knew then what I know now." they're thinking back to their past and wishing beyond all hope they could change it. So after figuring out the answer to that question, I instantly started looking back at my 38 years of life. I asked myself what are my regrets. In my personal life I've made some dumb mistakes here and there but they didn't alter my life in a big harmful way.

Next I thought about how I have been raising my children these past 12 years. What regrets do I have there? Well,I do have fears and regrets about how I have raised them but it's because I want them to grow up to be God-fearing adults who reach their potential. There are certain things I wish for my children like I want to give them lots of different opportunities so they can figure out their talents and what they enjoy in life. I want them to know to have an attitude to stay productive with their thoughts and actions. I want them to gather all the knowledge they can and enjoy learning. I want them to know the Bible and that praying to God regularly is important. I want them to have a positive attitude toward new experiences and consider such things as an adventure not a dread. But my husband, Danny and I, are the ones who will help them to learn such things and sometimes I know we don't try hard enough. Other times I regret we don't have the finances to give our children opportunities, even so, I know there are successful people who grew up dirt poor.

But unlike my past even though it wasn't too regretful, I want even better for my children. Since they are growing up right now, my husband and I still have the opportunity to help them prepare for a good life. I really hope that when they grow up they won't have to learn some unnecessary hard lesson of life and then look back and say with regret, "Wished I knew then what I know now."