Today I happened upon this terrific advice. (It comes out of the middle of a blog post entitled It Seems I'm Always Yelling.)
Don’t be put off by comments from parents in different circumstances. A wise man once wrote, “Once I had no children but six theories about raising them. I now have six children and no theories.” We had a friend with several daughters who was blessed with a boy at the end; after a couple of years, she went to all her friends with sons and apologized. “I thought you must be poor parents, with all that noise and energy and dirt going on,” she said. “Now I know.” Often times we really don’t know the challenges our friends are facing, and we should give them the same grace we want for ourselves. Smile, thank them for their concern, and follow what the Scripture and experience tell you!
I love that quote from the guy who had many theories about parenting before having children! (I walked in those shoes, too!) Ultimately, we don't know the challenges other parents are facing... and we should never judge. Give them grace—and give yourself the same grace! Seek God earnestly for direction in parenting your children... in your set of circumstances!
...And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus...
[Hebrews 12:1-2]
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1 comment:
It's embarrassing to consider how much I "knew" about parenting before I had kids. Thought it would be so easy. *ugh*
Yep. That grace card is so valuable!
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