What Do I Do With Worry? A Devotional for ParentsSample

DAY 5: Christlike Compassion

It’s common for parents to make mistakes when dealing with kids’ worries. Some of the most common mistakes are:

Dismissing worry: This might sound like, “That didn’t really happen” or “Don’t worry.” 

We respond this way because we are fearful of kids’ worries and because we ultimately want them to be happy.

Minimizing worry: This might sound like, “It doesn’t matter,” “Oh, that’s not a big deal”, or “It’s fine.” Dismissing and minimizing worries are two sides of the same coin, basically telling kids that their worries are unfounded and therefore unimportant.

Punishing worry: This might sound like, “You know better than to worry about that.” This response leads our kids to a place of guilt and shame for worrying, and such condemnation can cause our kids to shut down. 

A better reaction for parents is to get underneath the worry by learning to get comfortable with kids’ uncomfortable emotions. We need to enter into our kids’ world; if your child is acting out of character, try to come to a place of understanding. 

When our kids bring their worries to us, they are showing a great deal of trust and humility. As we strive to love our kids well, let us remember the ways Christ invites us to pour out our hearts to Him. He is always willing and available to listen to us and help us in our time of need, and even though we won’t always get it right, as parents we should seek to imitate Him and show patience and compassion.