I Can do It for My Kids!
Parenting is one of the hardest and most rewarding things in the world! Intentional parenting is not the easiest thing to do. It takes time and as the word says….intentionality. Planning, learning, empowering not only my kids but for myself with tools that will help me be successful in my quest.
Nowadays it seems like there is little time available for a parent to have personal growth and intentional adequate parenting planning. If you are a working parent you are juggling lots of jobs all at once and if you are a staying-at-home parent you may have a little more time at hand but that is not always true (I discovered that when I became a homeschool mom). There are so many things demanding our time that we may lose our focus in the process, so making time to read parenting books, listening to seminars, examining ourselves, and sharing with other like-minded parents, may not happen. I can certainly relate to this, but my problem with this is that from time to time I look at my kids and realize that time has gone by and I missed a precious opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to their character.
I don’t want to sound negative, I just want to state the reality so that today, I can parent my kids with purpose and not allow one day and then another to go by losing precious opportunities to help them be all that God created them to be. Let’s be real, this can easily happen as they plug away on their screens, games, crafts or whatever they do when they are on their own. (Yes, kids need to learn to be on their own….but not so they can be out of our way….you get what I am saying). I am sharing this so that today and every day I can have a plan, and this doesn’t always have to be a fancy one. Today, I was reminded that the best plan is HOW I LIVE MY LIFE. I was reading a passage from the Bible that spoke to me as a parent. This is applicable to everyone whether you are a Christian or not. Paul wrote, “keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:9
In a busy world, my best parenting strategy is my example. How I live my life is more likely how my children will live theirs. It is not the “do as I say and not as I do.” It is what they see daily:
How I treat others.
How I treat them.
My ethics.
How I manage my free time.
How I treat my parents and spouse.
How I react to adversity and conflict.
How I manange my money.
I can go on and on, but you get the picture. If I live an intentional life, I will by defoult be an intentional parent, because like the above quote says…”practice all you learned and received from me.”
Check out my parenting article about "How my children saved my marriage."
