I came across an article ‘The Most Practical (and Realistic) Parenting Advice you will Ever Read’, it’s kind of funny, offering tips such as:
- It’s ok if you miss a day of bathing your kids
- You aren’t the first to give in to tantrum
- You don’t have to do homework
- Sometimes feeling hurried and harassed is part of being a parent
To me, I try my best – go home early, spend time with kid on activity and reading with them. We discover authors that are funny with bright illustration, such as Mo Williems, Jan Thomas and Allen Plenderleith. Do I laugh with my daughter when reading? Yes. But hey, some nights I can’t wait to get it over and grab some zzz myself! Esp. given how late her bedtime is, how much scratching and crazy ‘eczema’ habits she picked up over the short (or excruciating long!) 5 years of her life, I really just want to sleep and not parent!
God is also a parent, father to Jesus and Christians. I don’t think God does ‘realistic parenting’ as in he doesn’t have enough energy to parent us. But I think he’s realistic in another sense, that he knows us so well and understands when we fall short.
Bible verse:
Matthew 6:26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
Father in heaven, you know us and how we parent. Yet being so aware of our shortfall, you love us. Help us to parent our children with the same love and give us wisdom to juggle so many aspects of life – work, children, chores, aged parents and eczema too!
We are the best parents for our children, that’s real!