Starting today and running through the end of this week, Dr. Duane Scarborough and his wife Barb are going to be sharing some parenting nuggets. Duane and Barb have discovered these nuggets through the hard work of parenting!

And now Duane and Barb…

Each child is an individual and different from every other in appearance, ability, strength, weakness, needs, and speed of development. Each need to be treated as individuals in way they are shown affection, discipline, nurture, and in expected level of performance.

Our duty as parents is to safely care for our children as we teach and train them while they go through the various stages and challenges of their young life. The goal is to raise adults who will be responsible, reach their full potential, and use their God given abilities to their fullest extent for the care and betterment of themselves and others. For the Christian parent a big part of that is helping them to discover for themselves who God is and develop a personal relationship with Him.

For good or bad we often parent in a similar fashion to the way we have been parented. I vowed growing up that I would do some things differently than my parents did. To a certain extent I did, but it is amazing how smart your own parents get as you get older and have to deal with raising your own children. We tend to model what we have learned and observed especially in times of stress and crisis when we revert to what is most basic in our learning.

Ideally preparation for parenting should start while dating. Observe how your companion treats friends and people they are comfortable with or used to being around and not trying to make a good impression on i.e., parents, siblings, grandparents. View how they respond to older people as well as children. How do their parents interact with them? As you are thinking about marriage and observe children that cross your path, discuss how you feel about children: Do you like them? Do you want them? What are your expectations for their behavior? How will you discipline unacceptable behavior?

Tomorrow we’ll talk about disciplining your children…