Parenting

Though we do not have any children and thus have not practiced any parenting skills on our own yet, it is very intriguing to learn from other people. While attending a "knee injury" appointment with Joseph today, I observed various parenting habits. Consider this a "note to self" of traits and practices I prefer to evade (in several years when this is applicable).

1. A lady told her daughter to stop acting like her. (As in to stop acting like her mother...whose fault is that? Interesting how our children reciprocate our actions and language...)

2. Same lady is playing games on her phone, paying no attention to her 2 daughters who were running in circles around the waiting room. Shouldn't the kiddos be the ones playing games? (IDEA for later use: have a "doctor bag" full of coloring books and games the kids can play while they wait.)

3. Kids were told to be patient many times. (At three years of age, they don't know what that word means...without being modeled or shown.)

4. Genuinely pay attention to and give your children the time of day. It saddens me to see families like this where the children are doing what they want and the parents are too busy or too wrapped up in themselves to nurture and love their children.

5. It is so easy to see someone parenting their children and be critical (How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? Matthew 7:4)...so I pray for this family and ask that God bring them together. I ask that the Lord would give Joseph and I strength, patience, discipline, and LOVE for our future children and a desire to parent them in the way of the Lord.