5 Things Every Parent MUST DO!!
Yeah, believe me…I get it! The last thing we need is 1 more thing to DO!
As parents we already work 50+ hours a week, have 2.3 kids (that’s a ridiculous statistic by the way) that have 5.2 extracurricular activities, volunteer at church, cook, clean, and we have to watch at least 2 hours of X-Factor every week. Do the math…and that leaves very little time for anything else.
Although we have very little margin, here are 5 things that every parent MUST DO…
- REVERSE THE CURSE: What family baggage has been passed down to you, that you are now passing down to your children? Was your mother a screamer and you mimic her behavior? Was your father angry and your children walk in fear? Identify the curse and make a pledge to REVERSE THE CURSE today.
- FIGHT FOR YOUR KIDS HEART: Then as I looked over the situation, I called together the nobles and the rest of the people and said to them, “Don’t be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes!” Nehemiah 4:14 Parents!! The days of lazy, mediocre and un-intentional, parenting are over! Our kids’ lives are being destroyed by bullies, hellavision, culture, pretend friends and peer-pressure. Step into the middle of your kids’ lives and fight!
- BE SELFISH: If you don’t take care of YOU, how do you expect to take care of your kids! BAM!! Seriously! Mom…Dad, it’s time to be selfish. What is the 1 thing that revives your soul? Time with God, a game of golf, fishing, mani or pedi, girls night out, or a visit to man town. Write it down, make a commitment that THIS week you will be selfish and do this 1 thing for you.
- MOVE FROM ZERO TO 3: Statics show us that anywhere from 50% to 80% of kids walk away from their faith in college. Whatever the true statistics are, the harsh reality is that many kids walk away from church and faith after leaving the nest. I believe this is happening because many parents haul their kids to practice 3 times a week and spend ZERO times a week building a spiritual foundation. If you’re a ZERO times a week parent…it is time for you to move from ZERO to 3. Write it down, make a commitment that you will begin building a spiritual foundation for your kids 3 times a week.
- HANG UP & HANG OUT: My friend, Kristen Race, created the “Hang up and Hang out” challenge. This was a challenge where parents would commit to staying off the cell phone in their kids presence. If I am honest, I really struggle with this! However, this is a war that I have committed to winning! I will be a parent that will “Hang up and Hang out”! Check out the “Hang up and Hang Out” video HERE.
What is 1 thing you must start doing?
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Totally agree about the “Hang Up” (or “Log Off”) point. That’s a hard one for me.
As far as kids leaving the faith, that’s been something I’ve been thinking about (and writing about). I like your point about how we use our time. What kids need (just as much as solid teaching — at home and at church — is to see how we model living out what we say we believe in. They need to see us living out a life of sacrificial faith (such as by intentionally limiting hobbies, luxuries, “free time,” etc, for the sake of worshiping God and loving others.
http://missionallendale.wordpress.com/2011/05/28/passing-on-your-faith/
I worked so hard to get over my baggage and not hand it down to my children. It is the one thing I feel that I have done right with my children. My husband and I have raised our children in a very different way than we were both raised.
You make a great point about the children and faith and that is one thing that we both are working on for our children.
The cell phone is easy for me, but the computer is not. I have to really commit to not working on the computer when they are home. It is too easy to hop on when they are doing something else and it is a slippery slide! Thanks for the great post!