Parenting Your Children Requires a Great Amount of Your Time, Patience, and Hard Work
Wouldn’t it be awesome if it only took one time to teach our kids important lessons and that they would just magically get it? Well I’m sure we can agree that it’s just not the case. The truth is, it takes time after time of hard work and patience from parents to develop good behavior and strong academic skills in their children.
As parents, we want our children to do well and grow up to be successful in fulfilling their purpose in life. It starts at home with making sure they are receiving the skills needed for positive character and learning. I love learning about successful people and finding out how hard they had to work to get to where they are in life. It didn’t just instantly happen. They had to consistently work hard.
I was listening to a podcast that mentioned Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, one of the most influential music composers. It’s interesting because people called him a genius and thought his composing of music came easily to him. But he said it was just the opposite- that it took continuous commitment and hard work for him to become successful. What I have found, after taking time to learn about different people who have been successful in their profession, is that they made a decision to consistently devote time and hard work. They didn’t just get lucky- they put their all into it.
Learning about Stephen Curry, a professional basketball player for the NBA, was inspiring. Here are two quotes from him that are very powerful and good to remember. The first is, “Success is not an accident. Success is actually a choice.” The other quote he said was, “If you take time to realize what your dream is and what you really want in life- no matter what it is, whether it’s sports or in other fields- you have to realize that there is always work to do, and you want to be the hardest working person in whatever you do, and you put yourself in a position to be successful. And you have to have a passion about what you do. Basketball was mine, and that’s what’s carried me to this point.”
After learning about both Mozart and Curry, I realized these concepts can also be applied to parenting. We have to be passionate about our parenting. We have to commit to put in the necessary work to help our kids so they can enjoy life and become successful. We will repeatedly have to teach and model to them how to be diligent, responsible, honest, humble, and well behaved. They will consistently have to work hard in their studies to be proficient in reading, math, and other subjects. Even when you think your children have mastered something, there will be times when they make mistakes. Then as a parent, we lovingly remind them the correct way it should be done.
This is something I continue to remind myself. It is not easy at all. But I tell myself daily how it will positively pay off in the end if I stay committed and don’t give up. It’s worth it to me because I love my children very much and want them to be the best they can be.
I’ve learned that you can’t expect to get your desired result without putting in the work. For example, I want my kids to be fluent readers with great comprehension skills. So I have committed to making sure they are reading each day and completing comprehension activities to enhance their skills. If I am not consistent with this, I shouldn’t be surprised if their skills start to decline.
As a parent, you have to be committed to teaching your kids moral character as well as academic discipline in order for them to achieve goals successfully. There are no short cuts to this. It requires your time, hard work, and patience for them to do well in these areas.
It’s so important that you don’t give up on your children. Your children need you to help them. Please don’t just solely rely on your children’s school to teach them. Your child is one student among hundreds (or more) that attend there. To only depend on the school and to blame teachers for what your child lacks, is scary for you and your kids. There are so many resources available online that you can access to help your children. Yes, it will require investment, sacrifice, and time. But your children are worth it.
You are your children’s number one teacher and advocate. I encourage you to challenge yourself to make a commitment to put in the necessary time and hard work to help them. Having been a classroom teacher, I want to inform you that it’s so important that you help your children in the areas that they are struggling in. Be a loving parent and do something positive about it so you can help them. I cannot emphasize this enough. Your kids need you.
Praying to God and asking Him to give you the patience that you need as you support your children in this parenting journey really does help. Pray that He will give you direction so you can figure out the best plan to use for your children. You can do this with His help!