"The Mouth of Babes"
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Little kids don't usually have a filter for their words. Sometimes they surprise us with unexpected wisdom beyond their pint-sized proportions. And other times — most other times — they say things in public that make you want to crawl in a hole from embarrassment. If you don't have a budding young philosopher in the house, maybe "Out of the mouth of babes" sounds more like a punchline than a blessing. So how much control do we really have over what our kids say or do despite our best efforts? As we shepherd and shape our children, it's important to accept our limitations and take responsibility for what we control.
The Big Idea
Good parenting is a daily choice you make, not the result of your child's choices. Your success or failure as a parent doesn't depend on your kid's response. Imagine if we judged God, the Perfect Father, by the same criteria. If the majority walk the broad road to destruction (Matt. 7:13-14), does that mean God is a failure (Isaiah 1:2)? Of course not! People make their own decisions and are responsible for their actions (Ezek. 18:4) — and that includes our children.
So, what's your goal as a parent? We need to get clear on that before we start evaluating ourselves. For example, we aim to pass our faith to our kids, like Timothy's grandmother and mother did (2 Tim. 1:3-7). That's the right goal, as long as we take responsibility for the part we control. So do your part every day, planting and watering your child's heart (1 Cor. 3:6), and leave the growth to God.
Parents aren't all-knowing masters or experts. We just have twenty or thirty more years of experience. That's not nothing, but don't overestimate it either. Don't feel pressure to be "The Father" or "The Mother" with all the answers. Instead, stay humble, offering wisdom, love, and discipline as you guide them, support them, and correct them.
The Big Question
How will you know if you've done a good job as a parent?
