There are few subjects in
life where we are likely to get a consensus from a group of individuals. Folks
will argue and debate about anything and everything. The issues otherwise
rational adults will argue about swing from the significant to the silly. Art, politics, the best burger and pizza
places in any given city, the correct way to hang a roll of toilet paper,
religion—if it’s a subject we talk about, then it’s undoubtedly a subject we
argue about.
The one exception to this
rule seems to be the topic of mindset or attitude. Everyone seems to agree that
mindset can make or break a person. What one believes or thinks about any given
subject affects how they behave concerning that subject. Some of my favorite
quotes illustrate this truth:
If you don't
like something change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think
about it. ~Mary Engelbreit
Every thought
is a seed. If you plant crab apples, don't count on harvesting Golden
Delicious. ~Bill Meyerange
Could we
change our attitude, we should not only see life differently, but life itself
would come to be different. ~Katherine Mansfield
There is no subject where
mindset matters more than parenting. There are mindsets or attitudes that we
adopt, sometimes unknowingly, which can seriously affect our ability to parent
well. Most of these mindsets are actually lies that we’ve bought into, and if we
allow these mindsets to continue unchallenged, they can eventually ruin our
kids. Today I will share four of the most dangerous mindsets parents can fall
into.
Good parents do everything
for their kids
There are a many well
meaning Moms and Dads who are knocking themselves out to do everything but
breathe for their kids. They do their dishes, pick up their stuff, pack their
lunches, clean their rooms, pay for luxuries long after kids should have jobs
of their own and sometimes even do their kid’s homework for them. This is
dangerous because it teaches nothing, produces laziness, and encourages a
welfare mentality. Parents should teach kids how to do things for themselves
and hold them accountable for a job well done.
Misplaced anxiety
The 24-hour news cycle has produced
a generation of adults who have weird priorities when it comes to anxiety.
Parents worry themselves sick about protecting kids from things that will
likely never happen, or that don’t really matter. They freak out over school
shootings, Ebola, random kidnappings and what will happen if their kids don’t
learn to play an instrument or get into the “right” school. Some of these same
parents will allow their kids to be exposed to dangerous ideas and corrupting
influences through television, peers and the Internet. Bad things happen, but
kids are much more likely to be harmed by the influence of a friend than to become
a victim of a school shooting. We should worry about the things we can control
and trust God to protect our kids from random acts of evil or disease.
Guilt
Parenting and guilt go hand
in hand. Parental guilt begins in pregnancy, gathers momentum throughout early
childhood, reaches a peak in the teen years and continues…well, until you die.
Guilt is not automatically a bad thing. If handled wisely, guilt can be a
powerful motivator towards change and better parenting. Guilt becomes a bad
thing when parents are driven to do things, buy things or indulge their
children’s whims out of guilt. Next time you feel guilty about a parenting
issue, stop and analyze the feeling. If you can change something, (like yelling
or not spending enough time with your kid) change it. If the guilt is coming
out of something you can’t change, don’t try and compensate for it with stuff.
Blaming outside
influences
Even the best kids have
areas that need work. Kids will lie, mistreat other kids, shirk responsibility,
and disrespect adults. Their flaws are a result of their human nature. These flaws
need to be dealt with decisively. Not blamed on bad teachers, television, other
children, gluten or video games. All of those things may contribute to a kid’s
issues, but they are not the cause.
After twenty-five years of
parenting I have learned that the time is short and we have to take advantage
of the teachable moments. When we are deep in the trenches of diapers and
temper-tantrums it’s hard to imagine that that our kids will ever grow up and
make adult decisions and choices. They do,
and they do it very quickly. Smart
parents decide early on what kind of an adult they want produce. Then they are
intentional about sowing those qualities into their children. Our attitude
toward the process makes or breaks our ability to sow truth into our kids while
we have them.
He remembers his
covenant forever, the promise he made, for a thousand generations~ 1st Chronicles 16:15