Parenting on Purpose

Psalm 127:3 (NLT)
Children are a gift from the Lord;they are a reward from him.

Our children are given to us to love, nurture and raise into adults. Our responsibility is to lead them into independence.

We begin by teaching them to sleep on their own, eat on their own, walk on their own and to communicate on their own.

We guide them along and teach them to make decisions on their own.

Our divine purpose as parents is to equip our children to be strong, independent and capable adults.

We teach our children how to cross the road and not to talk to strangers. We teach them how to answer the telephone and how to be polite.

When our own children were each in sixth grade, they took the Red Cross babysitting course. It equipped them with skills to take care of other children as well as themselves when left alone. Sometimes it is helpful for children to learn skills from outside sources.

We permitted our children to gain independence from us, while walking at the mall, or down the street, by utilizing two-way radios. This provided reassurance for us and a safety net for them.

The first time we allowed our son to venture off on his own, along with a couple of friends, was when they walked down our country road to the local conservation area. We sent him with a two-way radio so that he could contact us if he needed to. What we didn't anticipate on was the play-by-play that we received. We laughed at the fact that he enjoyed knowing that we were 'right there'.

It was important to us that our children had developed the necessary skills before reaching high school.

We felt that this was vital in order to ensure their safety. We knew that we would not be wise by thinking that we would be protecting them from outside elements without equipping them first. Our children's safety depended on it.

Currently we have one child in elementary school, one in high school and one in college. We are purposely giving our 18 year old daughter opportunities to make independent decisions. She is legally an adult now. Yes, she still lives in our home. But, what a perfect place for her to make mistakes and still be safe. We want her to 'practice' being an adult in the most safe environment available surrounded by people who want nothing but the best for her and nothing less than for her to succeed.

Our goal from the moment our children are born needs to be to raise them into strong, effective adults. Our job is to prepare them for the day when they are on their own. When my children were babies, people would tell me to enjoy them while they are young. At the time it seemed so faraway, but I must say, the time has gone so quickly. I appreciate the fact that my children are still home, but I know that it is for a very short season now.

The daily mothering will come to an end. But, we need to make a conscious choice to celebrate their independence.

1 Corinthians 13:11 (NIV)
When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.