Intentional Parenting
There’s long days and short days. Crying fussy days and laughter days. Days of unknown and days of knowing. Days of trying to get it all together and days you feel you finally have it down.
There has been days I thought I finally figured it out, then a new stage set in only to see I know nothing.
Our papa wants us to come to him to rely on his wisdom to help parent our children. As we become intentional in the Lord we become intentional in our parenting. He is our guide, he shows us in the manual (our bible) what to do in certain situations.
There will be days it seems nothing has worked. But then days will begin to happen where you see the fruit that has been coming forth from what you poured into their very lives. We should not give up. We should continue on being intentional with our parenting with our children.
How can we be intentional in parenting on the hard days to?
- Remember what it’s like at their age.
- Take a look at their friends and peers. What is the group like?
- Listen. Be the ear to listen and not speak. Hear what they have to say and speak only when needed.
- Interact with them. Cook, bake, read stories with them. Cuddle on the couch with them. Jump on a trampoline or go swimming with them. Find an activity they enjoy and enjoy it with them. Even if its making slime and the table is messy for a few minutes. A few minutes is all it takes to shape their hearts.
- Have a jar of activities you’d all like to do and draw one a week or once a month to do.
The list is endless…
The most important one…. never stop praying for them. If they are in the womb, pray over them. If they are newborn, toddler or elementary age, pray over them. If they are middle school or high school. Pray over them. If they are adults, pray over them. Parenting never stops when they are out the house. It just changes as the ages differ.
If you are wanting a guide to help cover your family in prayer, take a look at the Spiritual Covering Guide!
Questions to Ponder:
- What can you change today that you felt to be changed?
- What verses do you feel to pray over them?
- How can you join them in their fun?
Verses to Ponder:
- Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.”
- Provers 1:7-8 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; food despise wisdom and instruction. Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake to your mothers teaching.”