Parenting

I am no expert on parenting but we learned some things about it this week. We started with the purposes of parenting. Why is it important? Well, it is a way to transmit values and traditions from one generation to the next. Parenting is a way to teach of God and to practice and develop Godly qualities in ourselves and our children. We become refined in the parenting process. Parenting gives emotional and physical protection to ourselves, our spouses and our children. Parenting is a learning process. Parenting helps us protect and prepare children to survive and thrive in the world they live in.
We also made a list of ballast qualities that should be taught to children and developed through the parenting process. These are qualities that will help to firmly root children in what they know to be correct. Responsibility is number one. Brother Williams broke this word down into Response and ability. This helped me see that responsibility is basically the ability to respond. When we are able to take on responsibility, this means that we know how to respond to different situations and be able to cope with them. This is played out through our choices and the consequenses that come from the choices we make. Cooperation is another ballast quality. This is the ability to co-operate with people or the ability to work with others. This will help children for the rest of their lives if they learn this when they are young. Respect is another quality. Respect is earned. When you show respect to others, you earn the right for people to respect you. Children need to see an example of respect from the start. This means that spouses need to respect each other and respect their children. This will teach the child respect without you having to grill it into their heads. Just remember that actions speak louder than words. Courage is the last quality that we came up with. Children need to learn courage so they can reach their dreams. A lack of courage will hold them back in life. They will be followers instead of leaders.
We also learned a little bit about how to be a parent to teens. This is a tricky stage of life but can be dealt with if you know what you are doing. Treating your teen like an adult is one important thing to do. They want to be treated kindly and with respect. When you attack them, verbally or otherwise, their natural instinct is the fight or flight response just like it is for any human being attacked. We need to rise above natural instinct to confront them with anger and instead, choose the divine way to handle the situation. Go in with a calm mindset and with respect towards them. When they see that you are being a civilized parent, they will be more likely to be civilized teens. They will see that you love them and care about their best interests. This will help prevent them from getting angry and running from you.
Like I said before, I am no expert. In fact I may not even know what I am talking about because I have never had to raise my own children or teens for that matter. These ideas seem like they might work since they are based upon Christ-like qualities. I don't think our Father in Heaven would attack us and blow up in our face. He would be patient with us and try to calmly understand. This is why we need to rise above natural instinct and go about our problems with a divine mindset.