I recently read a book called 13 Things Mentally Strong Parents Don’t Do. This list was great! Here are a few of them:
— They Don’t Let Their Child Avoid Responsibility,
— They Don’t Make Their Child The Center Of The Universe,
— They Don’t Shield Their Child From Pain, and
— They Don’t Prevent Their Child From Making Mistakes.
But one that stuck with me—and really gives freedom to any parent, and even more so to the kids—they don’t expect perfection!
Mentally strong parents recognize their kids are not going to excel at everything they do. Instead of pushing their kids to be better than everyone else, they focus on helping them become the best they can. High expectations are healthy, but expecting too much from kids will backfire.
Kids who strive to become the best they can, rather than the best at everything, won’t make their self-worth dependent upon how they measure up to others.
In the social media age, this lesson may be one of the most important of all. If a child believes self-worth comes from being the best, she will have a rude awakening – every day of her life. I learned a long time ago that there will always be someone better than you in a specific area. But thankfully, there is only one you!
God made each person unique. It’s not how you compare to others; it’s becoming all that God created you to be. And there is grace as we make that journey.
Comparison is a joy killer.
Parents want their child to be the best they can be and should encourage them as much as they can, but don’t expect perfection.
You can get a copy of 13 Things Mentally Strong Parents Don’t Do here.
