What color should the circle be?
Should the paper be 8.5 x 11″? Larger? Smaller?
Do you prefer pencils with or without erasers?
As I read these questions from the ABCJesusLovesMe users, I hear so much anxiety to get it perfect. And if I were close, I would give each of you a great big hug because I know you are trying with all your might to get it right.
Here’s a practical tip:
ABCJesusLovesMe Curriculum Guide is a guide. I provide you with a plethora of ideas and tips to help you and the child be successful. Be sure to read the information in the Lesson Plans to understand the objectives and activities. Beyond that, the ideas are a model. You can substitute ideas and supplies with what works in your home or classroom. If you feel like something is detrimental to a child’s learning, be sure to ask on the private ABCJesusLovesMe Facebook Group.
But I wonder if there is more to the questions.
Fear? Anxiety?
We search for the perfect product, buy into promises, and grasp onto others’ experiences in the hopes that if we do everything right our children will turn out perfect.
I spent the first 10 years of my parenting journey like a crazed mathematician desperate to create the perfect equation to produce model children. I manipulated how I spent my time, what my children did, and the atmosphere in our home frantic to get the equation to balance.
Each night I went to bed exhausted and hopeless knowing that I was quickly running out of options.
Our Helper
I remember asking a more experienced mom how to be the perfect parent. Instead of a formula, she reminded me of a Helper.
She explained that there wasn’t a perfect parenting plan but that God has given Christians the Holy Spirit to guide each step of our parenting journeys.
But the formula seemed so much easier! It was tangible. It was something that I could see and do.
I now realize that the idea of a formula was a false sense of control.
First, children have free will. No matter what we do, in the end the child will have to decide which path to take. Good parenting sometimes raises children who make poor choices. In contrast, poor parenting atmospheres sometimes produce children who make good choices.
Second, God has given me more than I can handle in parenting our four children. And He did this on purpose so that I would release the false sense of control and allow Him to direct my parenting way.
Do you desire to be the perfect parent?
I hope so. But know that in reality, there is no perfect parent. Just a perfect God who will lead and and guide us if we daily seek His direction.
