EVERY PARENT IS A MODEL!
Every parent is a mentor, every parent is an instructor, a guardian, a teacher, every parent is a father or a mother. ohh, I mean every TRUE parent.
Parenting is way beyond giving birth to a baby. it has gone beyond mastering the kitchen and being the best cook. Parenting is much more than changing diapers now. Parenting is no longer a matter of paying school fees or doing school run. you could pay someone to do all that. and people (friends and relatives) even volunteer to do some of them.
What then is Parenting and what’s the best approach to it?
Parenting is first knowing your child. And if blessed with more than one, understanding that the one is different from the other, and treat accordingly.
Possessing what you know nothing about becomes almost useless to you and can easily be abuse.
knowing your child entails proper study which requires your time and concentration. Tell me you don’t have time and I will tell you your child is not important to you —- You create time for something that is important.
it is when you understand the personality of your child that you will know how best to install the right values on him/her.
No child begged to be born! you actually wanted a child. And even if it was by mistake, it was not the child’s mistake but yours. Take responsibility for your child.
When scripture says “Train up a child in the way that he should go…”, it means ‘train’ and not just bring up.
Training anything or anyone requires effort which includes your time, your money, wisdom, patience, care, attention, and understanding. while training to become the best requires even more effort.
Another word for parenting I would say is training —- Training your child.
Training your child to understands, believes, accepts and promotes right values, training your child to fear and honour God, Training your child to be able to master his/her emotions and make reasonable decisions, training your child to learn compassion, show empathy and be of great value to humanity. Training your child in love and wisdom.
this certainly requires hard work and just like anything else, only those who are serious and committed to it will get it right.
So now, are you a parent or you are just producing children? (there is nothing special about producing children now. there are wonderful technology that does that too.)
And as an aspiring father or mother, how prepared are you for parenting?
Please note; PARENTING IS NOTHING ABOUT YOUR CHILD BUT EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU.
Parenting is not saying that your child is stubborn (would be better you adopt the word ‘strong willed’ instead), but teaching your child to see the good in being ‘strong willed’ (yes! there is so much good in it), showing him also why and how he must not allow it control every part of his life and decisions though.
Parenting is not just knowing you have an emotionally week child, but helping the child tenderly that such weakness becomes his greatest strength.
Parenting is not in anyway related to abuse! Abusing your child ranges from calling that child names like ‘useless’, ‘stupid’, ‘foolish’ to sparking the child at the slightest provocation, to forcefully trying to change your child’s personality or going as far as hating your child and even saying it to their face how much you hate them.
There is no strength in being abusive. I think abusive parents are the most weak parents.
Life already has enough challenges for every child to deal with. As a parent, please do not add to it.
Be bold enough to let your child feels welcome and safe to come to you at anytime and talk to you about anything. it takes a lot of courage to do that.
Parenthood is beautiful. Learn all you can about it and give it your best shoot.
If you were a child, and you are to choose your parent, what kind of parent will you choose?
You are your child’s first role model. Be that Super Hero!!
Every child is a gift from God and every parent is a blessing.
HAPPY INTERNATIONAL PARENT’S DAY!!!