Patience In Parenting

People with understanding control their anger; a hot temper shows great foolishness.

Proverbs 14:29

TIM WAS BEGINNING TO wonder whether he had made a mistake in trying to teach Jonah, his twelve-year-old son, how to mow the lawn and trim the hedges. A job that usually took no more than an hour to complete by himself had somehow expanded to more than two hours with Jonah involved. And to top it all off, Jonah had made a few mistakes along the way, resulting in some uneven bushes and several very noticeable scalped places on the lawn. It took all the willpower Tim could muster not to scold Jonah, send him inside, and finish the job himself. But each time his frustration was about to get the best of him, Tim noticed Jonah’s beaming smile—soaking in the fact that Dad was entrusting him with real tools.

God has designed our ever-changing sons and daughters as complex, unique human beings. Often, in an effort to do things as efficiently as possible, we find it is easier to do things ourselves rather than patiently invest the time necessary to instruct our children. If we aren’t careful, the hearts of our children can be sacrificed on the altar of efficiency and perfectionism. Our ability to recognize who our children are and who they are becoming will only occur with generous amounts of patience. When was the last time you took time to instruct your son or daughter in how to do something?

BOTTOM LINE

It takes patience with our children, and with ourselves, to be good parents.

Moment of Strength: Proverbs 19:11