I was watching my youngest yesterday take forever to decide what he wanted to get with his winning tickets. The problem was there were just too many choices, especially when he had so many prizes in front of him that he couldn’t choose because he didn’t have enough tickets. Of course that didn’t stop his eyes from being drawn to those very prizes. I will just say I think it took him longer to pick his prizes than it did to win the tickets.
Sometimes too many choices can actual hurt us instead of benefiting us. For instance as a parent, especially a new parent it can be so difficult to find out what advice will actually help you in your own situation when we have so much parental advice to choose from. Look at the vast number of parenting books that are available, and you can talk to every parent you know and can hear ten different pieces of parental advice. The more parents you talk to or books you read to try to find an answer to your particular situation, the more you can doubt yourself and stay confused about just what to do. When you feel like that you can find yourself trying one piece of advice after the other without positive results because you don’t stick with one long enough to be successful. You you also find yourself not even making a decision because you just do not know what piece of advice to try.
One of the worst feelings as a parent is not knowing what to do to help your child, no matter the situation. Another terrible feeling is when you look around and it seems as if every parent has it together, especially when you feel that you have no idea what you’re doing.
What I have learned in my just shy of ten years of being a parent is that what works for one child may not work for your child, and what is best for one family may not be best for yours. I do not want to give you any particular parental advice but I want to encourage you in your search for advice.
1. Stay connected with the Lord by praying and His word
2. Do not listen to the enemy when he whispers that “you are not a good parent”, listen to the Father that tells you “You can do all things through Christ, His son who strengthens you”
3. Trust the Holy Spirit
4. Narrow the field of parental advice that you choose from. Find a few resources (other parents, parental books, etc) that you trust and stay with these resources.
5. Take a piece of advice and stick with it for a sufficient amount of time before you decide if it works or doesn’t work (ex. 4-6 weeks). Be Consistent!
6. Find at least one person you can trust to pray for you, to listen to you and to always point you back to the Lord
In the end you have to do what is best for your child, you, your family and your family’s life situations. If you are walking with the lord and His ways, trust that HE loves you and loves your child more than you ever could and He truly holds you and your child in the palm of His hand. In Him, with Him, through Him and because of Him you can do this parent thing and your child really will grow up and be o.k.!!
Wonderful advice!
So true! =) I’m always amazed that my girls are doing so well (so far, by His grace). I’ve made many mistakes, and done many things well (in my opinion) . But it is only by God’s grace and mercy that our children grow up to be adults who make good choices…. we can neither take credit for good parenting nor blame ourselves for our faults.
So true, Angie. Sometimes I get overwhelmed by all the “chatter” around me and I have to dial down the outside volume and focus on the ONE who knows more about parenting than anyone. I often call on the verse “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You because he trusts in You ” when I feel scatterbrained.
Thank you so much for this today Angie, I needed this encouragement.