parenting is tough work

Today's sermon was great. The teen pastor at our church delivered the message and while we don't yet have a teen, the message was still incredibly powerful and brought me to tears. My friends often hear me worry aloud that I'm running out of time with my daughter. She's almost seven, highly impressionable, and typically concerned with what is perceived as cool and fun. This is where I thank God that we continue to scrape up enough money to send her to a Christian school. I think we're able to circumvent some of what other parents of this age are dealing with just by removing her from the mainstream culture.

With that last thought expressed, let me say that it is not my desire to raise my children in a bubble. I do not wish them to be ridiculously naive or unable to function within society. Rather, I do believe (and have always believed) that if a child doesn't know what she's missing, she doesn't know what she's missing. Why expose her to situations and circumstances that she really doesn't need to experience?

I've made this argument for funerals, for example. She really doesn't need to attend a funeral just for the sake of going. The only time I give in on this issue is when it's a close family member that will actually be absent from her day-to-day. Arguments made against me are proposterous and include "but she won't know how to deal with death if you wait until she's older." Says who? We're all different and we all deal with things differently.

Back on point ...

If I'm doing my job as a Christian mother, then my child should turn out okay. What does mothering the "right way" look like? Here are bullet points from today's sermon. Make no mistake, this entry is more of a reminder for me than it is meant to be good reading for you, although I do hope that you can take something away from this.

• Guard your heart: God's love for you can rule your life. Satan's hatred for you can ruin your life if you're not guarded.
• Guard your time: We need to know what our mission is and stay focused on it. Keeping your mission in focus will clarify difficult decisions.
• Guard your kids: Don't follow the culture's example in how to raise your kids. Pray for God's glory, guidance and guts to live for Him.

"Whoever shows your son/daughter the most attention and acceptance wins their affection."

I have experienced that last sentiment, as my family knows. A dear friend of mine recently had the sex, drugs and alcohol talk with her "newly teenaged" daughter. I'm praying for them - that somehow this beloved daughter will be spared the peer pressure and that her parents stand strong in their expectations and discipline. As the Pastor put it - parents should be the most accepting and attentive people in kids' lives. When that's true, the parents win the affection.

"Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment." -Ecclesiastes 11:9