Being a parent today is tough, no one would deny that. Being a good parent is harder still. We want to do the right thing but many times we are unsure of exactly what the right thing is. In his book, Parenting Isn’t For Cowards , Dr. James Dobson talks about the challenges of being a good parent.
He first points out that babies come to us with no instructions and we pretty much have to assemble them on our own. There are no guaranteed formulas that work for everyone, it’s pretty much a case of trial and error. Dr. Dobson also points out that parenthood can be humiliating at times and it also seems specifically designed to irritate us. Right now as I write this blog, Tyler has set the alarm off on my nephew’s truck three times. I have asked him repeatedly to go and play elsewhere—-like in the big backyard. But my requests seem to fall on deaf ears.
Some of concerns of parents today include:
Not knowing how to cope with their children’s problems.
Seeing your own bad habits and character traits in your children.
Dealing with guilt when you feel you have failed as a parent.
Not having confidence in your ability to parent.
Thinking it’s too late to go back and “do it right”.
Dobson also points out that many mothers today lack confidence in terms of their parenting skills. One reason is because often mothers are blamed for “everything that can conceivably go wrong with children. Even when their love and commitment are incalculable, the experts accuse them of making grievous errors in toilet training, disciplining, feeding, medicating, and educating their youngsters. They are either over possessive or under nourishing.”
Talk about pressure to perform! But it does not have to be that way. Parents have to do the best they can and realize that anxiety is a normal part of parenting but our fears don’t have to become our reality, according to Dobson.
What are your biggest fears as a parent?
See also: