All of us want to be great parents. As the father of an adolescent, I too wonder how can I give my children everything they need, yet know when they need need to figure it out themselves!
The "Empty Nest" syndrome, something I don't imagine seeing for at least over a decade, has a huge impact, particularly on parents who suddenly feel as they've lost their students to college, marriage, or career. The key is to learn to let go slowly and gradually, and starts about the time we want to cling to them the most -- middle school.
Several tips that were handed to me include these:
- Develop your child's capabilities and sense of personal signficance, apart from your own.
- Don't let your own fear hold back your child's development. -- It's important to let children fail on their own so they can learn from it.
- Become familiar with your own particular parenting style and be aware of the drawbacks of each. What we don't know can hurt our kids. This is one reason why fathers also need to be involved in their kids school lives.
- Teach our kids skills they need to navigate their world with safety and confidence in an era of uncertainty.
- Embrace your child's fun and creative side-- Ask them who they played with or what was the most exciting thing about the day; before you ask them how much homework they have left to do.
- Finally, pray that our children do not depart from the Biblical and Godly counsel we have poured into them. The Bible promises us that if we've trained them well, they won't!
Thanks again for letting us co-labor together, creating another generation of young Christian leaders who will impact this world for the Kingdom of God!
