No matter where your parenting path takes you, you must know that you would not have been given the privilege if you were not up to the responsibility. And that responsibility includes having a plan for the life of your child. Without a plan you are leaving your child to chance. According to author and former chairman of Thomas Nelson Publishers Michael Hyatt, few of us have a plan for our own lives. How much less do we plan our children’s?
I have met very few people who have a plan for their lives. Most are passive spectators, watching their lives unfold a day at a time. They may plan their careers, the building of a new home, or even a vacation. But it never occurs to them to plan their life. As a result, many end up discouraged and disillusioned, wondering where they went wrong.
We could say the same thing about our children’s lives: I have met very few moms who have a plan for their parenting. Most are passive spectators, watching their children’s lives unfold a day at a time. They may plan their careers, the building of a new home, or even a vacation. But it never occurs to them to plan their life with their child. As a result, many end up discouraged and disillusioned, wondering where they went wrong as a mom.
Parenting is a part of your life plan, so you must have a plan, not only for your child’s life, but for your life with your child. What does it mean to “parent”? The definition of parenting is so simple: That is a basic plan, but is that all? Food, shots, and a few baths ought to take care of it. And if we threw in daily affection and a collar with an address tag for safety, we could say we have a plan. That may be the definition for parenting, but it is not the definition for mothering. Being a mom is anything but simple!
We can be passive spectators of our dogs, watching their lives unfold one day at a time, but we should not be passive spectators of our children. If you have chosen to be a mom, then parenting must be a big—no, an enormous—part of your life plan. It should be a passion, and you should have a purpose. You have chosen to invest in the next generation of little people, and there is nothing God cares about more than people. Every mom needs a plan. And not just for packing lunches in the morning and folding clothes at night. Every mom needs a long term, I’ve-only-got-eighteen-years-with-this-child plan.
I didn’t get this in the beginning of my parenting and probably wouldn’t have if I didn’t have a lot of friends with older kids. Looking at them I realized that parenting was a lot more involved than sterilizing bottles. In The Passionate Mom I share more detail about how to develop that plan. It is not hard just takes some thought. So think about it today, how can you love your child by making a plan for the remainder of their childhood? Where do you want to be at the end of your parenting journey? What do you want your children to know before they go to college? What do you want your relationship to be like? What values/faith do you want to nurture in your child? What gifts do you want your child to develop?
