Parenting 101

Okay, when we see books about parenting and they are the instruction guide for raising kids, put the book down, turn and run. These types of book can do more harm than good.

Why you ask. Great question. This is the first, right step. The second step is to be a student of our children and to understand them is to truly know how to raise them. Alright, let’s get back to the parenting books.

Often times these books create cookie cutouts of our kids, placing them into certain categories or behaviors. So based on this hypothetical parenting book we initiate a discipline or re-teaching process for our children.

Oops, we just entered a danger zone. What we have actually done is frustrated our kids and stifled who God created them to be.

The secret to parenting is being entirely sold-out for God. Period. The Bible presents us with all the instruction we need to raise our children. Think about it. They didn’t have parenting books thousands of years ago. So what did they use as a parenting reference?

My final thought: parenting books are not bad, and we should read them to glean insight and knowledge. However, we shouldn’t make our kids into something they are not. It’s okay if our kids are odd, edgy, opinionated, nerdy, loud, excitable, etc.

God doesn’t make mistakes, and our children are just who they are. So let them be who they are within the biblical boundaries God has set for us and them. Then enjoy the ride of experiencing life with your kids.