Power, the Influence of a Parent

As I read over others words, I couldn’t help but smile. It all made me think of when my son was little and how often he would wake me up in the middle of the night. How many times I would wake up to find him in bed beside me or in the floor curled up with a pillow and a cover. I even remembered the knocks at my door only to find my daughter calling out my name or touching my shoulder to wake me up. Whether the wake-up call was in tears, with a smile or just one for safety, it was all important to them and in turn to us as well.

A child is so tender and its true that parents have a kind of power that can make or break them. Reality confirms that you don’t actually know how you will influence your children. If your too strict will it make them go wild. If your too lenient will it invite nothing but trouble into their lives. Sometimes it the most horrible parents that create a child who becomes the most amazing parent ever, all because they swear never to be like there parents were to them.

The story I was reading told of someone who saw how much influence they had on their children and perhaps, they realized how important their job was as a parent. They saw the fear and the beauty in what they did and said and the responsibility as well. 

There is no true book that is right or wrong, good or bad as to how to raise a child. It is always, almost true that what we think they will remember as the most important thing from our time together turns out to be the farthest from their favorite memory.

I loved seeing the insight into another parents’ thoughts on their children. It helps us all to see another view and to know that we are not alone.  Too often in today’s world we see and hear more about parents and less about what children need from us and how they learn from what they see us say and do. The “Me” Generation does not always do our children any favors. Children cannot learn respect for themselves and others unless they see and hear it in their lives.

Mean words and accusations do not grow a strong self-esteem. Blaming someone for wrong they have done and repeatedly bringing up a person’s downfalls is not a way to help them grow and become independent. I always told my son that it was his behavior that I did not like, but behaviors have nothing to do with me loving him. Loving a child is constant, liking what he/she does fluctuates in life but that’s how we all learn, is from our mistakes. Its up to us as parents to help them process their rights and wrongs and guide them in being better people then even we are. Doesn’t mean they should rule our roost just that they deserve to be heard and respected.