“I chose to define the boundaries between a parent and a best friend. To this day the relationship with my children brings me pure joy and one of the most enjoyable relationships I have.” – #ToddCPittman
Yep, I Said It!
…and so did Hebrews 12:11 (NKJV) “Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”
“A conversation with some friends on the commuter train last night followed by scripture study this morning is a reminder that when it comes to the relationship with our children, the commonalities between a parent and a ‘true’ friend is that both are approachable, accessible, and have our children’s best interests at heart. We can be both parent and friend, but the boundary is that unlike a friend the parental role needs to command the respect of effective discipline. No doubt, the reason we don’t like to discipline our children is that it causes them temporary pain & hurt. Heck, my children are now all adults, living in 2 different countries, three different states, two have children of their own and to this day I still struggle with applying the discipline of strong disagreement with their decision making but I never hold back because I know my guidance will yield long-term gain long after I have gone home to be with the Lord. My mother implemented strong discipline and there were times when I had childlike hateful feelings but now I understand the long-term value. Raising my children, I learned that when we get too soft and sometimes even remove regulations for the reason of choosing to be our children’s best friend over being their parent then we are no different from the ‘so-called’ friends too many of us already have today. We’ve got to be mindful that children are diligent students of parental behavior so let’s forget about any parenting mistakes of the past, and let’s be mindful that it’s what we as parents do today that will have a generational impact.” – #ToddCPittman
Yep, I Said It! 