Do you ever feel like you’re not getting through to your children even though you’re always telling them what to do? This videoclip is pretty entertaining and clever, but after all the laughs have died down there’s an underlining grimness of truth to it as well.
Sadly, this video is not too far off from representing how many moms feel today. When parents don’t have much time for anything else except keeping their kids on a schedule, something essential is easily overlooked in parenting. Namely, the nurture factor. Being a good parent is not just keeping your children in line. Conformity or outward appearance is not the goal! Good parenting isn’t just having fun with your kids either. We all know that mom and dad can’t compete with the fun their kids have with their friends as they grow older. Also, being a good parent isn’t asking your child what he/she wants all the time. This article explains what’s wrong with that methodology.
Parenting takes time to mentor, disciple and shape your child’s individual character. It isn’t easy helping them understanding their world in a way that is consistent with the teaching of God’s Word because it means seeing aspects of God in all that we do and helping our children see that too on a daily basis.
We have a big job to do, but one of the greatest rewards of all this hard work is seeing our children make godly decisions on their own and follow God’s calling for their life. As Pastor Shettler outlines in one of his messages on parenting, God calls us to raise our children to: love God, love His Creation, love His Word, and love to pass their Christian heritage down to future generations. This is a tall order, which is why we need to evaluate our parenting goals and methods now rather than later when our child refuses to listen to us anymore.
Shepherding our children takes a lot of time, but who else is going to do this job? The pastor and youth pastor, although influential, at best get them a few hours a week. School teachers have enough to cover in their classes as it is, and while they can be a great support and help to parents, they cannot understand your child or meet their needs the way you can. We have duties as parents, and part of that is giving up our time. As already quoted in this blog entry,
“What is changing may be less our conceptions of childhood and even child-rearing than our conceptions of mothers, parenthood, and parents. Where once the raising of a child was rooted in notions of parental self-sacrifice, today it is being pushed aside by demands for adult freedom and choice.” (The Demise of Child-Rearing. Lyric Wallwork Winik; Public Interest, Fall 2000.)
I don’t presume to have the all the answers to parenting, but I know that patiently giving your time to your children (and that most likely will require self-sacrifice), being sensitive to their needs, consistency, and correction and instruction in righteousness is a good start. Hehum…I guess I’d better get going!
