Biting Your Tongue
Posted on Feb 14, 2008 under Children |When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.Proverbs 10:19
It took me many years of raising my two oldest sons to finally understand the phrase, “choose your battles.” It seems that I spent quite a bit of my time in the beginning harping on my kids. Whether they had picked out mismatched clothes or were insisting on eating with their eyes closed (seriously, strange kid), I believed it was my duty as a mother to correct them and teach them the “acceptable” way.
The fact is, kids don’t learn if they never make mistakes. And kids don’t learn to think for themselves if we do all the thinking for them. Yes, we must keep them safe and step in when their decisions might be harmful. Most times, though, it’s best to let our children make mistakes and learn on their own. Sometimes, they may even find a better way and teach us something, too.
Just as our heavenly Father guides us with his Word and is always there to lift us, He also lets us make mistakes and learn from them. Once again, if we pattern our our parenting after our Father, our children will do well.
