DIFFERENCES IN PARENTING

DIFFERENCES IN PARENTING

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. (James 1 vs 5)

One of the issues that often disrupts marital unity is differences of opinion on how to rear children. One wife said, “we didn’t have any problems in our marriage until the baby came. Since then, we haven’t had anything but problems. Our style of parenting are so different.”

This is a very common problem, and how you handle the problem will make or break your marriage. You may never agree on all the details of parenting, but you must find some common ground. Let me suggest that the starting place is prayer. Pray God will bring the two of you together on the basics of child rearing. Also, pray that he will help you understand the best way to rear your child. God is concerned about your children, and he also knows them perfectly.

Therefore, when you ask for wisdom, God is fully qualified to help. James 1 vs 5 reassures us that if we ask for wisdom, God will give it to us. He wants to guide us, and he can. No one is a perfect parent, but you can avoid some pitfalls. Your parenting will improve when you avoid the pitfalls of over-protection, permissiveness, of excessive distance from your children.

Remember that your goal is for your children to grow up secure in your love, strong in their faith, and with sound character. You are not able to take days off from being a parent. As you and your spouse talk together and pray together, the Lord will help you accomplish these goals together.

P R A Y E R

Father, raising children can be difficult. Thank you for promising wisdom to us when we ask for it. I pray that you will bring my spouse and me together as we discuss parenting styles and approaches. You know us and our children perfectly, and I pray that you will show us the best way to rear our kids to know and love you.