Eleventh Post! Parenting

    Greetings again to my friends of the blog and welcome to another discussion where we learn more about topics regarding marriage and family! Today I want to discuss parenting. This topic may have a different tone for each individual as parenting looks different in each household. Although it is subjective, generally speaking, there are children that have experienced good parenting, some experienced bad parenting and some experienced a lack of parenting completely. A good question to ask yourself is am I actually parenting them or am I just keeping them alive? 

Speaking for myself I think I experienced good parenting, with some bumps here and there. After all what you realize as you get older is that your parents are just big kids and don’t truly know what they’re doing most of the time. This results in some mistakes being made every once in a while, a lesson is learned, and they move on with new knowledge. And it also will look different for each child. You may have a couple that are somewhat similar but for the most part each child will require you to take different approaches to certain situations. Especially if you have a child that struggles with mental health issues like anxiety or depression or has autism or down syndrome.  

I remember growing up experiencing my parent’s parenting style and thinking it was the same style my older siblings experienced, and the same my younger sibling would experience. However, my parent’s parenting really changed throughout raising all four of their kids. For example,  my oldest sibling Hayley got a smart phone when she was in 7th  or 8th grade. She got in trouble one time because she was texting friends and playing games on her phone too late at night. So, years later when it would be time for my older brother and I to receive smart phones we instead got slider flip phones. And this was only because we were both walking home alone after school. In contrast however, my little brother who is about three years younger than I am got a smart phone in 7th grade just like my oldest sister had. I only tell this seemingly 1st world problem story to show that each child will experience different parenting styles as the parents figure out what is best for their kids. And in my situation the leniency staggered between children. 

One thing I learned in class this week that I would like to share with you guys is giving children responsibility. Allowing children to learn life skills through real practice can help children immensely to become more well-rounded and adapted adults. Another way of looking at it is by spelling responsibility a little differently. Instead look at the word as RESPONSE ABILITY. How are you teaching your child to respond to things and take on new tasks? 

Social Media has been a big change to parenting as children earlier and earlier are consuming what the internet feeds them. Especially with the somewhat new app TikTok, children are being exposed to more mature content at younger ages. Whether is it swearing, dark humor, suicide or borderline adult content, the media is becoming place where no child can simply browse without some dark thing invading their mind. And how do parents fight against this? I for one do not know how I am going to go about this because I know how hard it is for a kid to understand why we don’t allow them to have things that other kids their age have.  

These are just a few things to ponder on as you raise your children or consider future parenting styles. But invest time in it and the blessings will come. Involve the Lord in your considerations. Have a great week friends! 

Chloe