The violin was my primary instrument for several years. One of my teachers told me the secret to being a great violinist. “Everyone thinks the great violinists never make a mistake. They actually make plenty of mistakes. The difference between a good violinist and a great violinist is this: The great ones are paying attention and assessing each note as it is made. They make the necessary adjustments so quickly no one even notices the original mistake.”
Parenting, especially Christian parenting is as tough as learning to play an incredibly difficult instrument like the violin. It’s easy to get discouraged when you see a “perfect” parent who seems to know how to parent flawlessly. The secret is the “perfect” parent is no more perfect than any other parent.
The secret to being a “perfect” parent is the willingness to assess your parenting choices, skills and results constantly as you go through the day. Then those same parents take that assessment and make any necessary adjustments almost immediately. They don’t parent blindly, not assessing their results until their child ends up in serious trouble. They don’t notice a problem and then wait days, weeks, months or years to make corrections. They are aware, in the moment, constantly assessing and adjusting their parenting.
Continue reading What Great Violinists Can Teach You About Parenting
Family service projects should be a staple of any Christian family. They give your kids a chance to actively serve others and share their faith. Service projects also give your family quality time together doing what God wants your family to be doing. It creates wonderful memories and impresses upon your kids that this is your family identity- serving God by serving people and sharing your faith with them.
I’m not sure whether it is good news or bad news, but it may be easier than ever for your children to stand out as salt and light in the world.
A young boy recently won a major acting award. The media is going crazy over this kid and his behavior during his acceptance speech. When I finally saw a clip, I realized he actually was just a well-behaved, pleasant, gracious, joyful child.
Ever feel like you are trying to juggle seventeen balls at once, but keep dropping them? Parenting can be overwhelming at times. Trying to be a Christian parent and point your kids towards God seems like it adds a whole additional layer of to-do’s to your already multi-page list. Parenting your children so they grow to be active, productive Christians just seems impossible at times.