Parenting Tips
Parenting Tips - Raising Children is Demanding
If I was to share parenting tips with a “wanna-be” Mom or Dad, I would absolutely do my best to help them understand just how demanding and time consuming it is to take care of children. Parenting sounds heavenly to the soon-to-be Mom and Dad, but not long after that little bundle of joy is delivered, most begin searching for tips on parenting. Why? Even though we all know that parenting is demanding, it still takes most of us by surprise.
When I had my first baby I didn’t have a clue how much time was going to be dedicated to caring for my son. Because I was so in the dark, I actually thought being a Mom wasn’t going to change my lifestyle much at all. I’d still be free to do whatever I wanted, whenever and wherever I wanted. I was completely wrong and therefore totally unprepared. I became depressed over the constant attention he needed. It was such a hard adjustment for me because I was completely clueless to the fact that parenting is very demanding.
If you are expecting a child or already have a child the best parenting tip anyone can give is this:
- Be mentally prepared to meet the demands and then resolve in your heart to give the much needed time and attention over and over again to your little one.
Parenting Tips - Genuine Love
The next parenting tip I would give is that children cannot grow up to be healthy, happy well-functioning adults unless they’re loved -- genuinely loved by their parents. Children need to know they are special, important, and irreplaceable, otherwise they won’t be able to get past this much need affirmation. They will seek to find it in drugs, bad relationships, and rebellion. They won’t be equipped emotionally to stand toe to toe with pear pressure.
Children strive for the approval of their parents. But we as parents won’t be able to give this approval on a constant level if we don’t first come to understand tip one, that children need our time and attention. This is normal for any child and if we don’t understand how imperative this is deep down in our hearts and minds, then we will send the message to our kids that they are a burden. Think about this, it would be impossible for a child to feel as though he is a burden if we have first resolved in our hearts to give ourselves up for his needs. That is genuine love and we know this by Jesus’ example: He gave Himself up for us and He did so because of genuine love.
- In John 15:12, Jesus says, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”
Parenting Tips – The Importance of Respect and Guidance
This will bring us to our next parenting tip which is guidance. Kids will learn what they live. If we disrespect our kids, they will disrespect us and others. A common way we as parents disrespect our children is by letting them get away with being disrespectful to us.
For example, I say to my four year old son Johnny, “It’s time for bed, hurry off now.” His response is, “NO” and I laugh and say, “How cute.” I have disrespected him. In other words, I didn’t care about his need for guidance. If we walked into someone’s house and smoked after they have expressed their desire for not smoking in their house, I would be showing disrespect for the needs of the home owner. If we laugh at our kids when they are disrespectful to us (which they will be at times) or don’t correct them, we show disrespect for their needs. Children need guidance. But unless our guidance stems from love, it will come off as nothing but orders: “I am parent and you are a nothing child, do as I say!”
As a parent, we owe it to our kids to guide them into being respectful children. Otherwise they will grow to be disrespectful to all authority.
- Guidance takes time and love -- lots of time and lots of love. Never, ever give up.
Psalm 127:3 says, “Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him.”Learn More!
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