Protecting My Children’s Future

As a mom, the most important thing to me is protecting my kids. This can mean a lot of different things, depending on how old they are and what we’re doing in our lives. 

My kids have so many dreams. While I support them in the pursuit of their dreams, I’m also working on the parenting side of things to protect their futures.

This post is made possible with support from the American Cancer Society. All opinions are my own.

HOW I PROTECT MY CHILDREN & THEIR FUTURE

When we have kids, we have so many dreams for them. I know I spent many hours holding my babies and thinking about what they might be like as they grow up.

Would my son love baseball like his father? Would my daughter love live theater as I do? What about music? We all love music in our family, and I wondered if my kids would have that connection to us.

I wondered about what they would look like as they grow up. I hoped they would be healthy and strong. How would they do in school?

These are all questions I thought about and continued to think about.

EDUCATION

Education is very important to me as a mom. As a former teacher, I’m a firm believer in the power of education. 

I’m thankful that my kids enjoy school and do well in school.

A few years ago, I was looking for an alternative to the neighborhood school my son went to for kindergarten. We moved to the neighborhood because of the schools, but the school grew in size quickly the year he started, and it didn’t meet his needs as much as I had hoped. So from the beginning of his school career, I’ve been doing my best to support my kids.

We also save towards their future by putting away money towards their future education. It’s just one way I work to protect my children’s future.

HOBBIES & INTERESTS

Another thing that’s important to me as a mom is following the interests of my kids and supporting them as much as I can. I figure we never know which of their hobbies could lead to something they pursue in the future.

My husband and I feel pretty lucky these days. Our kids are interested in some of our favorite things, and it’s fun to experience with them. 

Our son loves playing baseball and has shown us that he has some talent, too. I’ll admit that I knew very little about baseball before I became a baseball mom. But my husband grew up playing the game, and it’s his favorite sport to watch. I love seeing the two of them bond over the shared interest.

We don’t know if my son’s future will revolve around baseball the way his life does now, but we do whatever we can to support his interests because it’s good for him both physically and mentally. It’s also been great for our family relationships.

My daughter seems to be showing interest in one of my loves — musical theater. I cannot wait to see if it’s an interest that sticks. Maybe one day I’ll get to see her in her very first show. But if her hobbies change, I will be right there cheering her along!

HEALTH

Protecting my children’s health is something I wish I could do more. None of us like to see our kids ill or injured. I do what I can by staying on top of annual appointments and building rapport with our primary care doctors and dentists.

As the kids get older, I’m learning more and more. I recently learned that the vaccination rate in Texas is on the low side. Only 43.5% of kids in Texas receive the HPV vaccine. Among children ages 13 to 17, that puts our state at #39 out of 50 states.

I will be honest and admit that I didn’t know much about the HPV vaccination. The great thing is that it’s never too late to learn!

The HPV vaccination is cancer prevention, and it can prevent more than 90% of HPV cancers. There are six types of cancer, and the vaccination is safe and effective, providing long-lasting protection.

I didn’t know that 8 out of 10 people will get HPV at some point in their lives and that about 14 million people become infected each year. This number includes teens. While most infections go away on their own (there is no treatment for HPV), there is no way to know if an infection will lead to cancer later in life.

While we’re thinking ahead to the future of our children, it’s important to remember that age matters when it comes to vaccinating against HPV cancer. Talk to your doctor to learn more, but the HPV vaccination works best when given between the ages of 9 and 12-years-old.

One of the most important things we can do as parents is to maintain our relationship with your children’s doctor. Work with your family’s doctor to stay up-to-date on vaccinations. A great way to start the conversation is to say, “I know the HPV vaccine is recommended for boys and girls between the ages of 9 to 12. What do you think?”

It’s that easy to help protect our children as they grow into the amazing people we know they will be.

Visit the American Cancer Society Mission: HPV Cancer Free Texas site to learn more.

We’re all doing the best that we can to protect our children’s future even during tough times. If we trust our gut and continue to learn more as parents, I think all of our kids are going to do amazing things as they grow up!

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