Parenting by Design Daily DevotionalNäide

DISCIPLINE WITH EMPATHY

Empathy is harder for some of us than for others. Learning to be more empathetic with our children may require taking some time to remember what it was like when we were their age. Walking in their little shoes can help us understand why they do what they do. Sometimes we forget we were children once, too.

Interestingly we may find the things we struggled with at their age cause us the most anxiety in parenting. We may be frustrated when the same issues reappear in our children. This remembrance can have two outcomes — we can anxiously step in to fix the problem, which usually results in an overblown response that makes the situation worse. Or we can remember our experiences and use them to relate to our kids. God may be using your child's struggles to sanctify both of you.

When your child's struggle causes you extraordinary anxiety, be alert — God may be teaching both of you.