There is no such thing as a perfect parent. Parenting seems to expose any character flaws that we have, especially when it comes to patience and anger management.
If there is anyone on the planet aware of our flaws as parents, it is our kids. They see and experience the genuine and authentic versions of us, not the version we put on social media. When we make mistakes in our parenting, they are the ones experiencing the repercussions of our mistakes.
The truth is our kids never expect us to be perfect. They know our flaws and love us despite those flaws, just as we show them unconditional love. This fact is both liberating and comes with the mandate to show our children what healthy imperfection looks like in a family.
When we have a parenting failure and allow a moment to cause us to lose patience with our child, we have to humble ourselves in front of our children. We may have raised our voice louder than we should or regret made a promise that is too impossible to keep or forgot something important to our child.
We need to apologize to our children and model what repentance looks like. The way our children observe our mistakes and recovery will directly impact how they do the same. As parents, if we struggle to apologize and humble ourselves, we will raise children who do the same.
More importantly, we need God’s blessings and grace in our family. With our human nature deeply flawed, we need God’s help to raise our children successfully. Both the apostles Peter and James quoted Provers 3:34 in their writings, saying, “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
The last thing I ever want is to allow pride and arrogance to lead me to a path where God is resisting me. That will doom my ability to parent my children. Instead, I want to walk in humility and be in a position where God’s grace flows freely in my house.