This post was written for The Christian Home- Issue 6 – an online Christian magazine. Stop by and read all the articles submitted…you will feel encouraged refreshed afterward!
Parenting: the hardest job anyone could ever be given. The hardest, yet the most rewarding as well. Challenging yet promising…if done to the best of your ability with the Lord’s help.
I read something on the wall in our local grocery store yesterday that said something along the lines of what I’ve heard several times: “Children who frequently eat meals with their families tend to do better in school. A 1994 Lou Harris-Reader’s Digest national poll of high school seniors showed higher scholastic scores among students who frequently shared meals with their families. And a survey of high-achieving teens showed that those who regularly eat meals with their families tend to be happier with their present life and their prospects for the future.” WOW! So simple, yet has such a huge impact! And is so true!
Parenting is a serious responsibility, but that doesn’t mean you have to be serious all the time. We joke a lot in our family…it helps to break down the walls and opens the doors to discussions that may not otherwise happen. Talking with teens is very important. They have so much going on in their bodies and minds that they don’t really understand – being open minded enough to hear them and guide them is what’s important. Sometimes the conversations are not what the parent may want to discuss, but if the teen needs help – the parents responsibility is to step up and help them. Hard? Yup! Worth it? YES!
We homeschool and we love it. Is it easy? Nope! But we feel led by the Lord to do this. We believe this has been just one more thing that has helped us in our family. Why? Because we are forced to deal with each other. *wink* There is no running away to something outside our home. When we wake up tomorrow, we will all be here again. Is this a benefit I expected from homeschooling? Nope. But I love it!
One “bad” thing about parenting…you won’t truly know how you did until they are grown. SCARY! But…all we can do is follow the Lord’s instructions and do our best – and leave the rest with Him. Which brings me to another thought: PRAYER. Parenting and Prayer go hand in hand. Continual prayer for so many things in their lives. I started praying for my ds14 wife when he was just a young boy.
The verse in the header of my blog (shown above) is my prayer: “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6
Have a wonderfully blessed day!
Parenting can be scary at times! I need to work more on praying for my children. I pray for them but not for specific things for each individually.
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It sure is true, you really don’t know how they are going to grow up. It’s just an act of faith.
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Good post and interesting about the meals with families. I’m sure it is true though. I don’t even want to think about high school yet…although my little one is growing so fast…too fast!
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Parenting is tough! I love watching our children grow and am sooooo thankful for the time we spend together and the time they spend together because we homeschool.
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