When you became a parent I am sure you remember reading all the parenting books, blogs, watching how to video’s on YouTube and pretty much everything else you could do to try and convince yourself you would know what to do when you child was finally here!
Perhaps like me your wondering where on earth the chapter on global pandemics is! What on earth could ever prepare us for all that has been happening! In virtually an instant we went from struggling to find family time to having nothing but endless amounts of time locked in our houses with our families.
Many of us are just trying to find our way back to normal and that’s where I think we need to hit the brakes! Let’s take a look at normal for a second…rushing from place to place, eating on the go, kids in electronic devices and parents sprinting to the finish line just to wake up and do it all over again! Now I’m not throwing rocks because I am that parent! I rush and rush and get so tired that at the end of the day I tend to push past the important moments like dinner, story time and those things my kids long for… a quiet and focused moment with Daddy.
If I had to write that missing chapter what to do when the pandemic hits for the updated parenting books it would be the following simple steps…
1. Breathe – everything will be ok.
2. It’s ok to karate chop anyone who try’s to come to your house – just remember to sanitize afterwards
3. Be intentional with your family – you don’t have to get it right all the time.
The rest will fall into place. During a foster parent training recently Amber and I heard a quote that has stuck with us.
“You don’t have to do everything perfect but can you do 100 things 20% better the next day”
What that said to us was – give your self a break, you are a good parent and we all have those moments we wish we could take back, but instead of dwelling on those moment work to make some of them better the next day.
If I could leave you with anything it would be this! You are a good parent! Don’t be afraid to ask for help! instead of rushing back to normal let’s make more time as we wade back into life for intentional moments with our kids – that is the stuff that builds a firm family foundation.
Familylife @ FirstChurch 