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In episode 35, hosts Brooke & Faren discuss chapter 7 of Brene Brown’s book, “Daring Greatly”. Chapter seven is all about parenting. WAIT! If you don’t have children, this chapter is still very much for you.
Wholehearted parenting principles are good take aways for any pocket of life! Whether you’re a grandparent raising grandchildren or a leader in your company, you can find a way to apply this to your life. In this episode, we give you rock solid ideas, tips, and truths for better parenting.
Be the adult that you want your child to be
Ouch! We know this can be a tough area, especially right around dinner time when we’re all hangry and tired. Remember from episode 34: you can’t transfer what you don’t have. It is SO hard to help your kids have certain characteristics if we don’t know how to properly model them.
This could be anything from positive body image to patience to attitude…they are your mini me. PRO TIP: start with something small (maintain your patience during the bedtime routine for one night), and then work your way up. You can do it!
Stick to your moral code & support each other
ZERO people have parenting figured out, but we do have an amazing guide on how to parent…The Bible. Yep! Look at the core foundational values of the Bible, and you’ve got your moral code lined out for you. Hooray!
The best thing you can do in the parenting community is support each other and extend grace. Most of us are doing the best we can with what we have. Instead of criticizing, how about helping? Say a prayer, give and encouraging smile, or buy them a Starbucks.
There are plenty of critics in the world, don’t add to the problem. This Similac commercial called “The Mother ‘Hood” below perfectly captures what criticizing can do and how a village can help your family tremendously.
Remember, we’re all working through uncertainty and self doubt through this thing called “parenting”. Another PRO TIP to remember: comparison is the thief of joy. If you are doubting your parenting, don’t affirm yourself through other’s “bad parenting”.
Our worthiness begins with our “first family”
Our job as Christian parents is to point everything back to God. Your worth is found in Christ. Your kids’ worth is found in Christ. It is our job to teach that, embody that, and model that.
How we engage with the world helps form our children. We give a few parenting hacks in this part of the episode, so be sure to check out the while thing. Remember, how you react in certain situations can be easily transferred to your children…they see more than we realize.
PRO TIP: get rid of the excuse of waiting until the kids are older to set high expectations. Set age appropriate expectations early, discuss them, and guide your children on how to accomplish this. Remember, always circle it back to your core foundational beliefs.
“What we are teaches the child more than what we say, so we must be what we want our children to become.”
Joseph Pierce
Understanding and Combating Shame
PRO TIP: Get rid of perfectionism. Do this by extending grace to yourself and others. The only perfect one around here is Jesus, so we can all stand to get a little grace. If you’ve received grace (hello again, JC), it’s easy to give grace.
PRO TIP: Your children interpret messages on the first thing you say/act/communicate when you see them (every time you greet them, for example). Greet them warmly, no matter how you’re feeling. In turn, train your kids to greet others well too. This creates a loving culture in your home.
PRO TIP: create engagement with your kids. Get to know them, empathize more often, invest time and energy. This requires mountains of sacrifice, but that’s what we signed up for when we became parents. It is 100% worth it.
