Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Serenity Parenting
I was thinking yesterday about what the goal of parenting is for me. What is the end I have in my mind as I make the journey of parenting my girls? Honestly, lots of words and ideas came to mind. And when I then found this article yesterday, it was almost providential. Okay, providential might be too strong of a sentiment, but it was timely. As much as I think I can nod in agreement with what he says in the article, my tendency is definitely to err on the side of thinking my nurture has a lot to do with how my kids turn out. So, all of that is to say, I think I agree, at least in theory and in part with what he puts forth, but why is so hard to take that knowledge from head to hands and feet?
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2 comments:
As perhaps your only friend with an only child, may I make one argument for the other side? Even if we accept that the author is correct about nature winning out over nurture, which I (to a degree) accept, I think the obvious implication of the article is that we DO impact our children's behavior while they are children. ("Realize that the point of discipline is to make your kid treat the people around him decently—not to mold him into a better adult.") So even if I have no impact on C's adult choices, I see daily evidence of our impact on him as a child - the way he treats others, his respect for home and family and the Lord, among other things. That, in my view, doesn't happen on its own and is definitelly worth the effort.
Thanks for your thoughts Allison. I definitely think he's overstating the power of nature. I completely agree with you and think that I (and other parents) have an opportunity to have a huge impact on our kids while they're young. I've seen too many adults still nursing wounds inflicted in childhood to think otherwise.
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