Have
you ever had those days where you feel like you need a vacation from your
children? No matter how hard you try, you just cannot control their
behavior and feel like you’re just not getting it right? Well,
remember you are not alone. All parents have been there—some of us
more often than others!
At these times it helps me consider Chick Moorman and Thomas Haller’s
concept of grace-full parenting:
“Grace-full
parenting is parenting that comes from the heart. It holds children in a
state of grace, even as they are held accountable for their behaviors. It
communicates love and caring while simultaneously implementing necessary
discipline strategies.”
I
like to add that grace-full parenting also means forgiving yourself for
mistakes you may have made as a parent. We can follow Christ’s
example by accepting that grace for our children and ourselves too.
This
article will review strategies for grace-full parenting each month,
starting with Chick Moorman’s strategy #1:
1.
Assume the stance that mistakes are permitted here.
Do not assign a positive
or negative value to your children’s mistakes. Instead, simply see
those errors as choices that offer opportunities for growth. If
your child learns from that experience, is the “mistake” a good or
bad thing?
Children
make mistakes (and parents do too). Why not add grace to your parenting
style by choosing to see those mistakes as valuable, important cogs in the
learning process?
By
Pam Stout, based on “Grace-Full Parenting” by Chick Moorman and Thomas
Haller
For
more information check out:
www.practicalworkshops.com
www.chickmoorman.com
www.thomashaller.com