By Tommi Vincent
Empower children to be self-sufficient who recognize thoughtfulness is one of their most powerful weapons. Giving deference to mindful thoughtfulness as a parent requires a genuine desire to know your children in an intimate way beyond duty.
Children start out as feeble infants. They solely rely on their parent’s ability to nurture them to life through every stage of development. According to Harvard a great deal of the brain architecture is formed in the first three years. Thoughtful parenting considers every season of life. Every seed that is sown from the very first day the baby enters into this earth and beyond, is going to produce a harvest. Our focus as parents is to sow wheat versus tare. We do not want our children to have to eat the fish we cook up in the pan and spit out the bones. We do not want our children to have to unlearn skills and mindsets that hinder them from becoming all that God created them to be.
How do we parent thoughtfully? When infants make a mess with their toys, someone picks up after them. As their motor skills and mind connect the mess is their responsibility to clean up, the accountability increases. Eventually they clean up after themselves. What happens when life starts giving your kids a kick in the butt? It is final exam week, soccer practice and homework every night. They are utterly exhausted. In addition to those responsibilities, they still have a chore list to complete. Thoughtful parenting will have you give an assist. Completely absolving them of the responsibility sends a message that it is okay to forego responsibilities. By completing something for them, you provide the example of thoughtfulness, being considerate of others. When you lead by this example, they are empowered to pay it forward.
Parenting is a lot of work, but so worth it! It is very rewarding to see the fruit of your labor when you intentionally sow fruit bearing seeds.