A Good Parent

Birthing a child does not come with instructions.  There is no step by step plan on how to be a good mother and fathering a child is the same.  Much is handed down either intentionally or unintentionally from family to family - traditions, religion, values, views on education, morals.  Very few families operate alike.  Social courtesies, religious beliefs, common manners, study habits, eating habits, all of these are differ between families, some in a major way and others in minor ways.  As we grow, develop and learn, we change our views on the way we were raised and the things we were taught and in turn develop our own values.

With time and development, children find many faults in their parents that they were not aware of before.  It is amazing when we find that our parents are not the final authority and usually this is the age when we are the ones making the decisions.  This is the time when we wonder "Why can't my dad/mom be like so-and-so?"  We admire something in someone else and wish it for ourselves or our family.  I remember wishing that our family had Bible reading and prayer everynight before bed.  My Uncle did this with his family and there was a closeness and a sense of security within the family that I felt my family lacked.  But as a parent, even though I started the process it only continued for a few months with many excuses of getting a bath or needing to study taking precedence over the Bible and prayer time.  My father would rise at 4:30 every morning and read his Bible for an hour, but did not share this time with his family and we never even thought of interrupting his Bible study.  I wish now I had made this a number one priority rather than a something extra. 

So what makes a good parent?  I believe that if our parents raise us to have the education and ability to be responsible for ourselves, not depending on others, to be of good moral character, to respect others, to live within the law and have a reverent fear of God, then they have done their job.  We are all individuals.  We all have learned behaviors and inherited traits that determine who we are and who we become.  What is very important to one may not make a hill of beans to another.  We can set the values for ourselves, but no matter how hard we try we cannot set the values for others - not our children, our parents, or our friends.  It is a relief when we realize that we don't have to live with the values of others, but  how devastated we feel when our children reject our values - that doesn't mean we don't love them.   The parent child relationship is a continually rolling ball from one generation to the next. 

What brought this thought process on is a great unknown! As a favorite cuz always says "who knows what she is thinking" and then these little thoughts just jump right up there and run like crazy!  I hope you enjoy your day and thanks for dropping in!

Happy Reading!
Belle