• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Promotivia

Ideas. Innovation. Excellence.

  • Home
  • Topics
    • Family
    • Furniture
    • Health
    • Education
    • Pet Care
    • Construction
    • Marketing
    • Technology
    • Transportation
  • Ask a Question
  • Contact Us

As a Parent, Do You Listen To Yourself?

Last updated on August 7, 2014 by Sozo Staff Leave a Comment

daddy holding daughterI think that the most frustrating and convicting words I’ve experienced in my parenting journey have come from my own lips, as I speak them to my children. Not a fan of the do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do model (hello, hypocrisy!), there are times when I hear my own words to my children and realize that I’m expecting more of them than I am of myself. Should I expect these kinds of attitudes and actions from my kids? I think so. But first, I must expect them of myself.

“You can’t always have your own way.”

I’m usually telling my kids this when they’re tempted to pout or display their temper as a result of not getting their own way. The problem? Sometimes, it’s because I’m insisting on my own way. Of course, I am the parent, and sometimes “my way” is truly better and in their best interest.

However, if I’m honest, I have to admit that sometimes it’s just because I’m the parent and have the ability to wield my authority in order to ensure that we do things according to my preferences, which are really not superior to my children’s.

Let me give you an example: Sure, I prefer the perfectly matching ensemble to their favorite, well-worn clothes, but if we’re going to the grocery store, I’ve decided not to insist on my own way.

crying“Don’t cry unless you’re [physically] hurt.”

I first heard of this idea from a friend who was giving me parenting advice, and it made perfect sense to me, at the time. But really? Most of the time when I shed tears, it’s over non-physical hurts, disappointments, and unfulfilled longings (Prov. 13:12) — both my own and those of others. And I was created to care about those things, as were my children!

David (throughout the Psalms), Job (in his namesake book), and Jeremiah (known as the “weeping prophet” who wrote Lamentations) describe their own internal pain, unrebuked by the God Who made them (Psalm 103:14). So this is one that I’m actually trying not to say, because I don’t think I should actually do it — or tell my kids. In fact, quite the opposite: I don’t want them to become desensitized to pain or think their pain is irrelevant or unworthy of my sympathy.

Now, can we be too self-focused and over-sensative? Sure. But that’s another issue.

“If you’re really sorry, you won’t keep doing it.”

Matthew 18 says a lot about repentance and forgiveness, but it never mentions this idea. We cannot truly know the motives of others (1 Samuel 16:7). Of course, we should try to help our kids evaluate their heart motivations and teach them to be honest, humble, and sincere in their apologies, but if they’ve sinned against us, our main responsibility is to respond with a heart of forgiveness, not to hold it over their heads and cynically assume they’re not really sincere. After all, is that what we desire from God or them when we blow it, yet again?

Filed Under: Family

Additional Articles

young girl swimming underwater with goggles
Teaching Your Child To Swim: The Four Basic Strokes, Part 4
Teaching Your Child To Swim: The Four Basic Strokes, Part 3
young girl hugging dog
Be Prepared for Unexpected Company with the X10 Driveway Sensor/Alert Kit
mom and dad grinning with two children
Set Up a Basic X10 Home Automation System Using These Quick, Easy Steps, Part 2
husband and wife sitting on couch watching tv
Set Up a Basic X10 Home Automation System Using These Quick, Easy Steps, Part 1
young teen girl leaning against pool wall
Teaching Your Child To Swim: The Four Basic Strokes, Part 2

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

ten − 7 =

Primary Sidebar

Jackrabbit Class Software

Popular Articles

  • Expandable Children's Furniture at The Bedroom Source
  • African Mahogany Lumber vs Genuine Mahogany Lumber
  • The City Way: Taking Your Child’s Bed to the Next Level with Maxtrix!
  • Perfect Furniture for a Boy's Bedroom, Pt 1
  • Perfect Furniture for a Boy's Bedroom, Pt 2
  • How Do You Treat Reactive Attachment Disorder?
  • Ultra-Budget-Friendly Swimming Pool Upgrades
  • Why Sleep Is Important for Young Athletes
  • Why Parents Love Jackrabbit Class Management Software
Swimming pools

Recent Articles

  • Good News: These Three Problems Aren’t RWIs
  • Nuts & Bolts of Priority Enrollment for Your Swim School
  • The Sun, Your Swimming Pool & Your Skin, Part 4
  • The Sun, Your Swimming Pool & Your Skin, Part 3
  • The Sun, Your Swimming Pool & Your Skin, Part 2
  • The Sun, Your Swimming Pool & Your Skin, Part 1
  • Teaching Your Child To Swim: The Four Basic Strokes, Part 4
  • Teaching Your Child To Swim: The Four Basic Strokes, Part 3
  • X10 XX62A Outdoor Wireless Camera Offers Accuracy & Convenience, Part 2
  • X10 XX62A Outdoor Wireless Camera Offers Accuracy & Convenience, Part 1
Home automation with X10

Recent Comments

  • Aika on Can Bedroom Furniture Help Your Child’s Mood & Academic Performance?
  • WAYNE Prokosch on It’s an Ipe Thing
  • Amanda Drew on The Wood Drying Process
  • Hannah on Quality Western Redcedar Lumber
  • Hannah on Is Ipe Decking Lumber Right for You?
  • Sheryl on Quality Western Redcedar Lumber

Copyright © 2021 Sozo Firm Inc · Privacy Policy · Disclaimer · Sitemap