Like what I have mentioned in my previous blog, parenting and raising kids can be a daunting task. Parenting does not come with a handbook and so, when I come across some articles and books that try to help me (and my hubby) in raising our children, I (we) try our best to do it, even if sometimes we think it is just impossible!
Well, the past few weeks, I have been bombarded with A LOT of parenting articles. Article after article, I was trying to remember the most important details and things were becoming more complicated. I found myself getting confused as I encountered articles contradicting one another. Like for example -- the use of rewards. I have always been taught that giving rewards was a positive reinforcer, but I came across one article that says otherwise.
With these conflicting styles and tips, I came to realization that:
a. I should be critical with everything that is being given to me in the articles, links or books. I shouldn't take everything as is. I should know what to take from these articles. Since I have more time to read these articles, I usually share it with my husband and later on discuss the article. I guess part of being critical is for us to discuss as well, if it applies to us and to our kids.
b. There is no perfect formula for becoming the "best" parents. We try our best to teach them values and raise them up well, but we will still have to wait if all our efforts will pay off when our kids have finally grown-up. I guess with all the articles that I have come across, I and my husband find ourselves mixing the styles.
Parenting they say is a case of hit and miss. But as parents, as much as possible, you wouldn't want to miss, as whatever mistake we commit in raising our kids, can make or break them and their future. Which directs me now to my most important realization:
Parenting is a leap of faith. We cannot be the "perfect" and the "best" parents we hope that we can be because it is hard, VERY HARD. Try as we might, we still get bad days, sad days,mad days, challenging days, and tiring days.We cannot be with our kids 24/7, all day every day, every minute of their lives. We cannot control their emotions and their decisions. We can try our best, OUR VERY BEST, but might still end up failing in the future. This is now where Faith comes in. We can pray for them and for ourselves.
We can pray for our daily decisions as parents. That our decisions will not be clouded by our emotions. That what we do is really the best for them. That they will eventually make the right choices all the time. That they will grow up well and good. We can only do so much. But praying for them and for ourselves will never be too much.
Yes, I still read articles and parenting books, but I now know better :)
