Success < Sainthood
Yes, I said it. Saints! Raising children is about much more than crossing your fingers and hoping your kids come out okay, that your child become a “good person”. God has given you the gift of parenthood. He has put you in a leadership role. He has put a baby in your hands and challenged you to walk the walk.
The great part about being a parent is the myriad ways in which God reveals Himself to you through the relationship you have with your kids. I learned more about God during my first year as a Father then I did reading books on theology.
Raising Children
Kids don’t need you to be their best buddies. They need to spend their childhood in close proximity to heroic virtue and extraordinary holiness. They need you to be a model of sainthood. If you don’t want it, they won’t either.
There is a reason we call it “raising” children. Our goal is not for them to be successful, but for them to be saints. You are meant to raise your children to God. To lift them up into relationship with Him. That’s what it’s all about.
When you look at parenting from this perspective it changes everything. Don’t waste time trying to turn them into Einstein. Forget about setting them up for success. Your primary objective in this mission of parenthood is to get your kids to Heaven.
Question: Does this view of parenting change the way you see yourself as a parent?