Drew Oakley
May 14th, 2023
Are you a parent? Are you doing it right? You could wait 20–30 years and see how you’ve done. But is it possible to know if you are getting parenting right when your kids are three? Or 13? That’s the question, because our parenting today will directly influence who they will be at 30.
Discussion Questions
What's the hardest part about parenting? What's the easiest or most fun part?
Did your parents get it right? Share some good and/or bad memories from your own childhood about how your parents got it right (or wrong).
What’s the best parenting advice you’ve heard/implemented for parenting during the infant/toddler years?
What’s the best parenting advice you’ve heard/implemented for parenting during the elementary years?
What’s the best parenting advice you’ve heard/implemented for parenting during the middle/high school years?
“Community” can be tricky with parenting. There’s the temptation to compare your parenting with other parents around you. Is there a way to escape the comparison trap?
Having other parents walk alongside you is an incredible gift. How can this group be a helpful community for you?
Moving Forward
If you aren’t sure how to get parenting right, you are in really, really good company. Relax, none of us get it right all the time. Remember, children take their cues from what they see and experience with you. So the best thing you can do is to love your children the way God loves them. Practically speaking, prioritize your relationship with your kids. That’s what God does with you.
Changing Your Mind
Look at these words from King Solomon. While this is a proverb and not a guaranteed promise, it offers some great advice for parents:
Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it. –Proverbs 22:6