"I’m a parent. I’m doing the best I can to raise my child with the belief system I have in place. I am using the tools I have to make the best judgments I know."
These are quotes from the guest post that has taken the blogging world by storm. Scary Mommy had her friend do a guest post, if you haven't already, you can read it here.
I read these above quotes and am prompted to ask the question, are you also saving money for the therapy bills?! To quote Dr. Phil "How is that working for you?"
Last week, I mentioned D and I went to church, we went to a Christian church, Non-Denominational and what they do is instead of a Baptism, they have a dedication, (my family assumes our baby will be baptised). The purpose of this dedication is this:
Parents present their child before God and His people asking for grace and wisdom in carrying out their responsibilities. Parents also come praying that their child might one day trust Jesus Christ as Savior for the forgiveness of sin.
I was baptised a Catholic. By no fault of my own, my parents divorced when I was 13, I was then a bastard in the eyes Catholic church... this is where things between me and the Catholic church got messy. I didn't have my father growing up, I always said as snotty as could be "I didn't ask to be born."
As a parent, I am going to have to make some decisions, some choices for my child while keeping in mind she too didn't ask to be born. I'm not talking about the peas or carrots, Cheerios or toasty o's, but choices that are going to affect how she views the world, choices I make for her that shape and change her. I want to do all that I can to encourage her to make her own choices and be confident with those choices, to be comfortable in her own skin.
Living with D, only though it's been three short months has taught me a lot. The other day I left the house without kissing him goodbye because I woke up late. I spent all day thinking about that, how long would it have taken me to walk 5 steps give him a quick peck?
I freaked out about being late, I didn't think about how he would feel (he thought I was mad at him) nor did I think what if something happened to either of us. The news story of the morning was that a little boy was killed by a car on his way to school, I sure hope his mother kissed him before he left and he knew how much he was loved.
There's so much a parent needs to think about, not just the color of her room, or her bedding or the outfit she'll wear coming home it's how every choice we make for her until she is old enough to make her own choices are going to affect how she makes those choices. It's not about me or D, it's about her.
What do you think the role of a parent should be?
I am not a parent. You know this, but I just wanted to make that perfectly clear.
ReplyDeleteI would like to raise my children to be tolerant. I hope to teach my kids to think for themselves, be tolerant of varying lifestyles, and encourage them to ask questions. I hope to be ready with honest answers, difficult as they may be.
I can't speak for all parents, but I truly hope I can follow the lead of my own mother and teach my kids to be open-minded, accepting, and loving people.
I saw that news story and it broke my heart.
ReplyDeleteI think the role of a parent is to protect your child while also enlightening them. I think part of that truly does involve the quotes you gave, but not on as scary a level. I am a conservative and a Christian and I plan to pass those ideals onto my child- but not in a forced-down-your-throat kind of way... in a way that you provide a household that mirrors your values and those you hope your child will have, and then provide the tools and support necessary for your child to navigate the world, supported by these values. Not everyone has the same values and that's what makes us all different. But sometimes your child turns out differently than you and that's ok too... because that's the "cool-ness" of them being an individual !!! A beautiful person you created! I'm so excited for you!!! :)