Life

Child

Say, cliche.

Parenting is not an easy job. For me, it’s the most challenging job a person is called to do.

The  moment one becomes a parent, the twenty four seven three hundred sixty five work days stare back. Nothing compares to the challenge of nurturing a life from birth to adulthood.

Every moment is a moment of hope- hope that what we’re doing is right.

Nothing prepares us for what we are about to encounter. No one knows what the encounter will look like as there is no template. There is no school for parenting. We learn as we go. Our guide is our love, and, it is love that will steer our parenting.

There is no perfect parent. Every parent, at some point or another, poses big questions: Am I doing it right? Am I too strict? Am I too lenient? Am I too friendly or am I posing like an enemy? How do I forgive this offense? How do I let go? Am I doing too much for my child or am I doing too little? Am I a helicopter parent, always hovering watching my child’s every move ready to run at the littlest discomfort, excessively interested about my child’s every activity? Am I over-protective?

Do I discipline correctly?

One thing important though is to raise our children in a way that they are trained to be contributors to society when they grow up; allowing them to fly and to use their wings. Allowing them to make mistakes for it is from mistakes that lessons are learned, not from our sermonizing.

Teaching them not to fear being hurt because it is after the hurt that they experience the comfort of healing. When they meet challenges, let them think of solutions, it toughens their minds, honing their problem-solving skills.

When they fall we let them stand on their own again. They become stronger individuals.

Exposing them to age- appropriate avenues to explore where they can use all their senses and faculties add to their experience. This is nurturing in them the love for learning and leading them to discover their gifts and interests.

Allowing them to do chores is good mental training.

Raising a child is filled with both joy and heartache. It is a joy  to see them grow up to be responsible people. It’s exhilarating. Heartache happens when our expectations are not met. Now, our expectations- we have to manage these so as not put unnecessary pressure on our child. Our goal is not to raise successful people. If that happens, it will be a bonus.

Our goal is to raise good people, with values, becoming contributors to make this world a better place.

Nurturing in love can never be questioned. While training them, let’s give them space; respect them starting when they’re small.

Lastly, we can’t do parenting alone. As the saying goes, “It takes a village to raise a child.” True.

In the equation, let’s put God at the center. He is our father and if we follow his ways, we are guided to raise wonderful human beings anointed to pursue the calling God has ordained for each of us.

I am a parent. And this is my story.

Sweetly cheering parents,

Joji

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