The best advice for parents I’ve heard
October 19th, 2009 / 5 Comments
My son is now 21 and pretty much on his own. He rents his own apartment half an hour away from us, and he supports himself financially. I am thankful that he does come home weekly to attend our home church that he grew up in, and he [usually] stays to have Sunday dinner with us before going back to his apartment.
I was nowhere near the perfect parent to my son. As every parent would probably say, I did the best I knew how. I read parenting books, listened to parenting experts, follow the advice of radio shows such as Focus on the Family and Family Life. I tried to a smart parent, which is what I encourage every parent to be.
But still, I probably made all the mistakes of being overprotective with the first born, and expecting too much of a first born. In spite of me, he is turning out to be a really good kid, and I am very proud of him.
I didn’t want to put my self-esteem on the line by asking him if he thought I was a good mother – that would’ve been too risky.
Instead, I asked him, “What advice do you have for parents who are raising young children? What do you think makes a good parent?”
His answer is short and profound, albeit a little too obvious. He said, “Spend time with their children and talk to them.”
Simple, isn’t it?
Do you agree?
Think about it, and we’ll continue this topic in the next post.
Comments
It is the simplest and most basic tenent of parenting. I agree. Particularly if you spend time doing what THEY want to do, as opposed to making them tag along with us.
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I love talking with my kids one on one, and it always happens at bedtime. thats when the days stories come it and details are suddenly remembered. They always want to tell me ‘one more thing’. Just a ploy to stay up??maybe.
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