Parenting

When does a parent finally get to feel like they don't have to be a parent anymore? The answer to that question is "never". But there comes a time in all parents lives that we must let our kids spread their wings and fly. My son is only 8 and my daughter is 6, and I have already experienced times when I have had to say, "you are going to have to deal with this on your own. If I do it for you it is only going to make the problem worse, and you will not learn how to fight your own battles." Is it hard having to say that to your kid, of course it is. One of the most difficult things about being a parent is watching your kid suffer. But when you can see them stand up for themselves and fight back, while momma and daddy are doing some serious praying at home, it is the most amazing feeling in the world.
I believe in teaching my kids how to live a christian life, in a world that is going to hell. Yeah, I could shelter them and keep them tied up in my house for 18 years, but I feel that I would have done a huge disservice to my kids. I can't suddenly shove them into a world at the age of 18 that they have never been in. Will they have tempations and things thrown up in their face, of course they will. But that is where my job as a parent comes in.
I have to teach them what is right and wrong. I have to live the right, and throw out the wrong in my own life. So if I feel it is important to go to church every Sunday and read my bible and pray, I must make sure that my children are following my life examples. My kids are not allowed to stay the night at someone's house on Saturday Night, unless they are going to church on Sunday morning. One of the 10 commandments is to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. We choose to honor the Sabbath on Sunday, and our kids will honor it with us. We can't let them think that anything else is OK.
We are the parents, we only have 18 years to teach our children how to live the rest of their lives. When they get married, they then belong to their spouse. I look at my son and realize that we have already gone through almost 9 of those 18 years. What have I done that teaches him to live for Christ? What things do I do that hinders him from living for Christ?
Are we faithful to Church, faithful to tithes, faithful to God, faithful to each other, faithful in reaching souls for Christ? Do you know the older your child gets, the harder it becomes to instill Christ in their lives. It kind of goes along with the saying, you can't teach an old dog new tricks. I'm not saying that a person cannot get saved once they have reached adulthood, but if they have never been taught the love of Christ and what it means to live a christian life, the road to coming to Christ is going to be much harder.
A few last things to add, parents you have to quit bailing your kids out at sometime or another. Sometimes it is going to take some hard life lessons to get your kid on the right track. Sometimes a child has to touch that hot stove, before they realize why you are telling them not to touch it. Does that mean you don't love your kids, of course not. I love my kids with all of my heart. If kids think there are no consequences to their actions, they will probably continue their actions. I am not a firm believer in time out. Do I spank my kids all of the time, of course not. But if I feel that a spanking is what it takes to make them realize they cannot act out, then that's what it takes.