“If you don’t do these things for your child, you are a bad parent.”
Is it just me or does it seem as though the internet is flooded with blogs that start like this?
It seems everyone has an opinion on what you should and should not be doing with your baby, your toddler, your child, and your teenager. I wonder what would make someone an expert in this field? I find these blogs make me feel bad about my parenting skills (or apparently the lack thereof) and make me second guess my parental instinct.
I recently read a blog about this very topic and it went on to say that if I didn’t pick up my child every single time they cried, I was neglecting them. It said if I didn’t let my child sleep in my bed whenever they wanted to, I was uncaring and unloving. If I made my child eat foods they weren’t fond of I was mistreating them. I mean, what has the world come to? Are we proposing that our children must dictate to us how they should be brought up? Last time I checked, we are the adults and we know best (most of the time).
The truth of the matter is that we cannot simply allow our children to have their way all the time and in every situation. If we do, we are sadly raising bratty and entitled members of society who are every teacher’s nightmare and every boss’ pain in the neck.
We owe it to our children and to society to raise balanced children who understand that it’s not always about them and they don’t always get their way.
So are you a bad parent? Take the following test to find out:
- Are you firm yet loving with your child and don’t always let them have their way?
- Do you provide for them to the best of your ability without over indulging their every request for a new toy?
- Do you show them how to treat others the way they would want to be treated?
- Do you teach them to respect and honour people in authority over them?
If you answered yes to these questions, then despite what society may tell you, you are not a bad parent – you are a great parent!
Part of the reason society is in the mess we are in is because we have a generation of people growing up thinking they are the center of the universe, the world owes them something, and they know it all.
Let’s change the tides and move away from child centred parenting to common sense parenting. The world will thank you!
It’s not easy being a parent and when I have come to the end of my rope and don’t know what to do, I turn to God for help. After all, He’s the only One who truly does know it all. To learn more about a real relationship with Him, click on the pop up banner or link below.