4. We can’t stop laughing with them
Heather Sanders, who manages the #1 homeschooling online publication, wrote on her blog: “Unlike drinking chocolate milk (kids) and margaritas (me), laughter doesn’t require moderation. It is always good for us. Not only that, but laughter is an important component for a kid’s emotional health, increasing their well-being and ability to self-navigate the inevitable angst of the preteen and teen years.”
5. We can’t stop showing grace
Sarah Markley, on her post Teaching Our Kids To Embrace Grace, wrote that “shame or oppression should never find its way into our parenting. When we parent well (with good boundaries and appropriate consequences for misbehavior) we show our children respect. When we allow their disobedience to be just that, disobedience, and not something that offends us personally, we show them grace. I believe that parenting must be a healthy balance of boundaries and grace (just like God does with us).”
6. We can’t stop investing in their passion
Kathi Lipp wrote a book, 21 Ways to Connect with Your Kids (affiliate link), and in it she said that “investing in your child’s passions takes time (that you may not have) and money (that may be in short supply), but it’s so important.” She also gives practical tips on how to make it work, like creating a fund for their passion, putting your money where their passion is, and being obsessed with their passions.
And the list goes on and on.
We can’t stop fighting for them. We can’t stop crying with them. We can’t stop showing mercy. And we can’t stop being present. That’s probably the most important – just being present. I remember the first time I met my friend and pastor, John. The best advice he gave me, in any situation, was to just “show up.”
Sometimes that’s all we can do.
Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in his ways. You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your sons will be like olive shoots around your table. Thus is the man blessed who fears the LORD. May the LORD bless you from Zion all the days of your life and may you live to see your children’s children. Psalm 128:1-6