The hardest thing about being a parent is making the decisions that are best for your own child. As crazy as it sounds, there are plenty of children out there who are being raised based upon the influences of books, public opinion, the neighbor kids, government and media indoctrination, and "conventional wisdom." Too often, parents are brainwashed into believing that there is a right way to parent and wrong way. These parents believe that everyone who raises their children differently are wrong.
The brainwashed parents are the ones who give me tired-head. They are the ones who would label me a bad parent because of the choices I've made in the way I'm raising my children. It's true that I discipline, educate, feed, entertain, and engage my children differently than other parents around me. But that's my business. Please stop labeling me as a non-caring, non-aware parent.
My husband and I have been very intentional in the decisions that we've made for our children. Our priority for our children is their spiritual growth and exposure to God's Word, so all the other areas of parenting are secondary to us. Our goal is to discipline our children in a biblical manner. We want our children to be educated about God's world in such a way that they can be a godly influence on society. Thus, they will be getting a Christian education--mostly likely in the home setting (have you seen the cost of private schools in Texas?!). We also want our children to live godly lives that glorify God. Thus, we are doing our best not to be pharisaical about the way we live, eat, and serve the community. I know it's a novel idea, but instead of relying on self-help and parenting books, we want the Bible to be our main source of parenting guidance.
I don't expect other parents to make the same decisions for their children that we make. Our decisions are based on our understanding of God's will for OUR lives, not theirs. If they want to force-potty train their child at 12 months, eliminate hot dogs and bacon from their diets, start them in sporting or school activities before they can walk, teach them to be bilingual before they can read, send them to non-medical doctors, and solely rely on positive reinforcement for their behavior issues, then these parents should go for it. God gave them children to raise. So they should honor Him and do it in the best way that they know how.
Parenting shouldn't be one huge guilt trip. It should be an honorable role that we gladly assume. Let us not forget that even parents were created to "glorify God and enjoy him forever."
Amen.
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