Parenting is not for the faint hearted!!By David Parenting is not for the faint hearted!! Nothing tries me more than being a parent of teenagers!! If its not the constant bickering between siblings then its the ever present demand for transport/time/money. It wears me down, pushes me to the limit and presses all my buttons. And yet there are times of laughter, joy, pride and contentment. Why does it have to be this way!! In particular I hate those times of beligerent indenpendence and disregard for me and my status as parent. At such times they assert that they know best and that they know what to do and that they don’t want advice and they don’t want help (unless its financial). In short they don’t want to have anything to do with me unil they need something and then its all “lovey dovey”. What I struggle with is the wild ride of emotions. One moment I’m battling with extreme anger as I cope a barrage of abuse, the next I am overcome with deep concern for their wellbeing and future. Love and anger does not mix well and I must admit that I do not always handle it well. It has given me, however, an amazing insight into how God must feel when he surveys his creation. What love he must feel as he looks out on all he has created, what joy he must feels at the potential and possibilities. And yet how great his anger must be when he sees how we seek to be independent and disobedient of him, not caring that all we have comes from him. It has shown me what a staggering thing it was for him to act on his love and die on the cross for me. Your Comments:
Thank you for putting into words exactly how I feel re my nearly 18 year old daughter. Like you, I’m sometimes winning and sometimes losing when it comes to dealing with the mind-bending manipulations. I try and remember that God’s mercies are new every morning and therefore mercy and grace are to be extended to her on the same basis. I am learning however, that I am a mother always (and that often means saying no to destructive choices) and only a friend sometimes. regards Elizabeth Elizabeth Lamont on 09/02/2008 I am going thru this now with 3 teenage boys. donna on 24/02/2008 Amazing site. adware on 07/09/2008 Just browsing, but saw this page and stopped :-) Mother Teresa left us with a great legacy of reaching the non-Christians etc. etc. How did she do it, hour after hour? She made the comment along the lines of always speaking to the Jesus in that person. Not a bad thought when we are talking to our kids at those challenging times. My kids are now in their early 20s - one headed off for a year in Kenya after uni to work amongst orphans as a volunteer. It changed her life and she is now seriously considering heading back to the mission field of Africa. The other stayed longer in a youth group than my daughter, but he found the youth group a clique (ie, too many from a huge government school nearby - he was also at a local government school) and battled to fit in. The Youth Pastors couldn’t seem to handle this when we tried talking to them. Too often ‘number’s replace quality and relationship building. He stayed reading his Bible a while longer, will go to church with us, surprises us sometimes with what he says and does, has great compassion for others, though is still on that journey to enter into a relationship with Jesus. Never stop praying for your kids and ALWAYS offer UNCONDITIONAL love, two things I have learnt over the years. Blessings. Robin Robin Cox on 11/10/2008 I am not a single parent but I have to say that I can imagine clear advantages, the main being that as the only adult in the familiy you get to set the rules and the only negotiating to do is with your kids - so it’s run on your and only your terms really. Visitor on 20/12/2008 Can’t agree with you more.green laser pointer daniel on 09/10/2009 |
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