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On Parenting
Don't Waste Your Authority
The rules for parents are but three... love, limit, and let them be.
~Elaine M. Ward~
During our childrens' young tender years we have to be very careful that they respect our role of authority. Have you ever been shoppig and heard a mother say, "If you do that again, I am taking you home!" and then she doesn't! Or "I'm going to let you Dad take care of you when we get home!" Does she? Have you been guilty of saying that? If the child is misbehaving, this should be corrected, but never with threats of what you are going to do.
We sometimes abuse our authority just because we have that power. There are so many things happening in the life our our child every day, thousands of them, that are not important and should not be treated as a big deal. Could it be that sometimes it's just an annoyance we are dealing with? The child should not be punished or corrected just because we are in a bad mood or we are tired. Comment if you must, but don't treat it like a catastrophy. You can tell them you had rather they did not do a certain thing, but save your ammunition for when there is a real problem. If you make fuss after fuss about small things, should the time come when there is a real problem, you won't have enough influence to catch your child's attention. The child will think, "Mom's just fussing again."
Stop for a minute and think about your parenting style. Is there more fussing than kind words? Is there more ridicule than encouragement? If so, check out the reason. Are you tired, feel overworked, angry with your husband or your employer? Do you feel neglected by your spouse or perhaps you don't have a spouse. Do you have anger that has seeped over into all your life. The precious gift that has been given to us, our child, is not the cause of these situations, but many times they get the blunt edge of the parent's problem.
I would be the first to tell you, parenting is not easy. It requires a lot of time and effort and selflessness. With so much information available on the topic, at libraries and on websites, the parent only has to search for answers. Just make sure your source is reliable.
 Our children, when small should always be our first priority. It is important because our choices could span the generations.
"Life affords no greater responsibility, no greater privilege,
than the raising of the next generation."
C. Everett Koop
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