Why do you parent the way you do?
We tend to default to what we know. It’s easy to fall into bad habits without realizing it. We tend to act like we saw our parents act–both the good and the bad. And the way we parent will become our children’s default one day.
Even if we were blessed with a godly heritage, our parents were still fallible human beings. They were also different than us, and parenting different children in a different time. We’d be wise to pause and look at our parenting decisions in light of God’s Word.
I was recently listening to a talk on teens and trauma, and the speaker (Tera Melber) pointed out that are brains literally rewire themselves as teenagers, letting go of pathways that aren’t used often. She explained that teens need to practice the things they want to keep, thereby creating firm pathways. She also brought us back to Romans 12:2 and how God wants to renew our minds.
"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:2 (ESV)
God wants us to let go of bad pathways and form new ones. This process continues our whole lives! It made me stop and think about the pathways I’ve formed as a parent, and if they’re really the pathways I want to continue, or if I need some rewiring.
Forging a new pathway takes patience and consistency. It’s easy to just do what we’ve always done. But it’s worth the extra effort to follow Christ and His way more and more in how we parent our children. We can run to the cross, thankful for forgiveness for the past and power to move forward on a different pathway.
I’m a sinner saved by grace through Jesus Christ. I’m also a writer—I’ve been writing ever since I could hold a pen. I… 
