Article May 18, 2009 Issue

FOUR PERSPECTIVES ON PARENTING

with contributions from Beate Hathaway, Vivian Bush, Lois Marquardt, Jeffrey Hildner

I NEVER HAD ANY GRAND PLAN about having a family. But I always wanted to be a mother, and recognized early on what a wonderful role model my own mother was. She really strove to live her life in obedience to divine law, and where her children were concerned, she was unfailingly loving, involved, and nurturing. Yet she also instilled a sense of independence, and the understanding that indeed all things were possible through a deepening reliance on God's care and love.

During my university education, I developed strong career goals, but never lost sight of my desire for family and to be a mom. After graduating, I was working in Berlin, Germany, when I met my husband, who is also a student of Christian Science. We were married three months later.

Both my husband and I were adventurous, so we planned to travel the world for a few years before settling down to start a family. But we soon found ourselves expecting our first child. Initially, I felt quite unprepared and overwhelmed. We had no permanent home or employment, and the birth of our first child didn't seem part of any plan.

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