I began a workbook today on parenting - Life 101! The Parenting Edition by Dr. Bob & Ann Livesay. A bit different than the parenting books, magazines, internet articles, and all the other way to solicit advice on parenting in hopes to be the best parent possible.
On this first day of reading/working, there were some very interesting ways presented to view parenting.
My Notes:
Psalms 127:1
Unless the Lord builds a house, its builders labor over it in vain; unless the Lord watches over a city, the watchman stays alert in vain.
Thought for the day:
while you cannot be a perfect parent, you can be a godly parent, and that’s precisely the kind of parent you should strive to become. Effective parenting doesn’t require perfection, it simply requires love, commitment, a sense of purpose and a willingness to depend upon God.
1 Timothy 4:15
It’s not perfection; it’s progress as a parent that delights the Lord.
View mistakes as opportunities to learn and grow.
Parenting Tip: Don’t be too hard on yourself. You don’t have to be a perfect parent to be a godly one. Instead of beating yourself up, focus on dependence and perseverance: in other words, depend on the Lord and don’t give up.
The Four Biblical Responsibilities for Parents:
1. Love: To love their children by building a relationsh9ip that mirrors God’s unconditional love (Psalm 127:3)
2. Teach: To teach their children by instilling a storehouse of wisdom (Ephesians 6:4)
3. Discipline: To discipline their children in order to drive out foolishness (Proverbs 22:15)
4. Letting Go: To let their children go by training them to be independent (Genesis 2:24)
“The only real qualifications that parents need is a sincere and diligent desire to follow God’s ways. God knew your strengths and weaknesses when you signed up to be a parent, and He still hired you.” (Lisa Whelchel, page 13, Life 101! The Parenting Edition)
My hope is to add more knowledge and have a clear understanding of exactly how God wants His children parented/disciplined. He gives us these wonderful gifts, these great treasures all for His glory and His purpose. I want to honor Him by doing right by Him as these 3 wonderful gifts he's given me are simply amazing. Life is such a strange process. Throughout the life span we encounter so many experiences, stages, mishaps, understandings, etc. What is profound for me at this time is I have this wonderful young woman doing her best to live her life for Christ. She is such a blessing to me and I am sure has taught me as much or more than I've taught her. She's 18 and now these two little boys of mine, 8 and 5, really are getting a different mom than what she had. I don't know that it's better as much as it's what I've learned along the way and how the natural process of change is inevitable. If we strive to improve over the course of our life - which I firmly believe we should - then of course, all three kids are going to have different life experiences although they've been raised in the same house, by the same parents...
I am a true believer that we all do the best we can with what we have at the time. I am a true believer that we should all want to do better; therefore, we must learn how. Life is a journey. It's a never-ending process of experiences that shape who we are; determines our destiny. We can each, always, be better... improve... Children are worth investing time and energy into so that they can be part of the journey, that makes a difference in the world!
The best part about this, Albert and I worked on it together! <3
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