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PARENTING: WORKING YOURSELF OUT OF A JOB
Would you accept a position with your employer if your task was to work yourself out of a job, so you were no longer needed? It’s an important question because that’s precisely the role of a parent in the life of their child.
There’s nothing like the feeling of stepping inside the house after a day of work, and having your toddler race to the door to greet you. But something downright sinister happens when that little one enters the teen years. Well … it feels sinister, at least. I’m referring to the process of your teen pulling away from you and becoming more independent. The worst part of it is it’ll feel as if your child no longer needs you.
The teen years are when adolescents seek their own identity apart from their parents. It’s a natural process that prepares teens for adulthood and, within certain parameters, moms and dads must allow it to happen. Instead, many parents hit the panic button and desperately cling to that feeling of being needed. It’s definitely tough, but you have to let go.
Parents, God has given you the responsibility of working yourself out of a job by raising kids who can stand on their own two feet. So when your child becomes more independent, take heart. It doesn’t mean they don’t love you. It simply means they’re developing as God designed them to. They’re spreading their wings into adulthood to live a happy, successful life on their own.
For a daily dose of encouragement and perspective, check out Jim Daly’s blog, Daly Focus, at JimDalyBlog.com.
Would you accept a position with your employer if your task was to work yourself out of a job, so you were no longer needed? It’s an important question because that’s precisely the role of a parent in the life of their child.
There’s nothing like the feeling of stepping inside the house after a day of work, and having your toddler race to the door to greet you. But something downright sinister happens when that little one enters the teen years. Well … it feels sinister, at least. I’m referring to the process of your teen pulling away from you and becoming more independent. The worst part of it is it’ll feel as if your child no longer needs you.
The teen years are when adolescents seek their own identity apart from their parents. It’s a natural process that prepares teens for adulthood and, within certain parameters, moms and dads must allow it to happen. Instead, many parents hit the panic button and desperately cling to that feeling of being needed. It’s definitely tough, but you have to let go.
Parents, God has given you the responsibility of working yourself out of a job by raising kids who can stand on their own two feet. So when your child becomes more independent, take heart. It doesn’t mean they don’t love you. It simply means they’re developing as God designed them to. They’re spreading their wings into adulthood to live a happy, successful life on their own.
For a daily dose of encouragement and perspective, check out Jim Daly’s blog, Daly Focus, at JimDalyBlog.com.
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About this Plan
Parenting isn’t all nuts and bolts. Children thrive when there’s an atmosphere of God’s love and grace in the home. It’s that sense of belonging a child feels in knowing who they are is more important than what they do. And you don’t communicate that in a single moment through a lecture. It’s instilled into a child’s heart subtly over time by a mom and dad who undergird biblical values and expectations with the nurture and support of relationship.
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We would like to thank Jim Daly and Focus on the Family for providing this plan. For more information, please visit: www.FocusontheFamily.com
