It Matters Tomorrow

Why don’t you give your kids Mountain Dew at bedtime? Why don’t you tell them that homework is optional? Why don’t you let them stay up all night on a school night?

BECAUSE IT MATTERS TOMORROW

It matters a lot. It would have a big impact on their behavior, fatigue, ability to focus and learn and obey. Knowing that would be the outcome, a wise parent will not take that path. Allowing bad choices is detrimental to your child, and society as a whole. So, we make good choices for our kids because we care about what their life will be like tomorrow.

There are times and circumstances, however, where parents tend to slack on making the best choice for their child. Staying up too late isn’t a good choice, but when getting them to bed is a monumental task, we tend to back down and give that extra time, even knowing what the morning will be like. We may not want them to have a sugary snack, but we back down so they will stop begging and whining. We know it isn’t in their best interest to allow them to play at a certain friend’s house, but it gets them out from under our feet so we say yes. Somehow, when parenting gets difficult we forget that

IT MATTERS TOMORROW

For every today that we give in there is a tomorrow coming that will be more difficult to manage. If you have been a parent very long, you know that is true. In order to be a responsible parent raising remarkable kids, we have to understand that the behaviors we let in are the behaviors the kids will be set in. The longer we wait to take charge of their behavior, the more that behavior becomes ingrained in them. Waiting for the phase to pass without teaching them that what they are doing is unacceptable will result in a phase turning into a lifestyle.

You are charged with the responsibility to shape your child’s conscience, their values, their moral fiber. You are the one that insures they develop a strong character and become adults with integrity. When you see a behavior that isn’t lovely or pleasing to you, rest assured that it isn’t lovely or pleasing to God, either. Pruning away what is unhealthy allows your child to grow. Cultivating kindness and compassion will shape them into the person God desires them to be. Allowing them to give and serve will safeguard against self-centeredness.

Parenting is work. Every. Single. Day. Taking a break and coasting along will soon show negatively in your children. Stay strong. Ask for wisdom. Take the time needed. Listen to their hearts. Know them well, inside and out. Invest in them and guide their behaviors today and every day because

IT MATTERS TOMORROW