Parenting Simply

By H.W. Bass

Parents want to protect their children, but some of them take it too far because they are using God’s name to keep their children from everything in the world. The parent that is very protective of their children means extremely well, but there is a point at which the parent must be willing to allow their child to use their free will to exist in society. The children who never leave the house, know nothing of the world and do not get to have their own friends are going to feel cheated and will be unprepared for the world outside when they turn 18 and leave the house.

Children not only need to be able to think for themselves, but they need to be able to make their own friends and build their own lives. While many parents mean well, they must make sure that they are not smothering their children when they get a little older.

As soon as kids hit their teenage years, it is time for the parents to allow kids to go to parties, hang out with their friends and be their own people. When the child would rather go to the youth group rather than the Sunday service, that is alright. When the child wants to date, dating is a good thing and a time for parents to teach kids how to have healthy relationships.

When the child is no longer a child, they must be treated like an adult so that they can be their own person. In the end, well-meaning parents can only protect their kids from so much. Either the child learns how to become an adult with their parents or the child takes a year between high school and college and does all their learning without their parents. Smothering=selfishness. Letting go=love, and God is love, not smothering.