Chas and Cameron are my sons. The privilege of parenting these young men cannot be overstated. The fear of parenting these young men cannot be overstated.
I have the privilege and joy of seeing them grow and learn and develop. I get to see success, failure, learning, tears, joy, hope and the hope they have in a long life ahead of them.
I don’t think I am tempted to shrink more than when I think about the awesome responsibility of parenting my sons. God graced myself and Natalie with the great job of raising these guys into successful, godly adults.
The only way we know to parent with any hope for success is through Prayer, Discipline, Guidance, and Love.
Prayer
- That they would grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord
- That they would desire God’s active presence in their lives
- That they would stand firm on the gospel and the commands of scripture
- That they would succeed in their pursuits of education, sports, relationships and vocation
- That they would be men of integrity and character
Discipline
- Teach them how to be men
- Teach them how to treat women
- Set limits and hold them accountable
- Help them navigate a Social Media driven world
Guidance
- Remember we are raising successful adults, not just obedient children. I have to let them fail and learn.
- Come along side them as they become men and be a counselor and guide, not a rescuer or enabler.
- Model biblical manhood and womanhood
- Let our experience inform and guide both positive and negative
- Model humility and forgiveness. Its ok to apologize when you mess up as a parent.
Love
- Be patient
- Be kind
- Don’t hold grudges
- Persevere with them
- Love them enough to tell them the truth
- Reject evil
- Be generous with time, resources, and encouragement
Anything you would add?
FAITH HOPE LOVE 
Love this, Darrell! I feel like fear should always be present when we think about our privileges.
As for additional thoughts on parenting, one thing I am in the midst of learning is that you have to press on and not give into what I feel like is “parenting fatigue.” As Lydia has grown older, it would be so much easier just to throw in the towel and give up – because the teen years are so much more difficult than the toddler years! (Something we don’t talk much about) I used to wonder why parents of my youth students seemed to not care or be oblivious, but now I think they just gave up because they were tired and weary of the hard work of parenting. It takes perseverance and a consistency to parent well — self-discipline. It is not for the faint of heart!
We are entering into a whole new season at our house and I am leaning in to learn what parenting a young adult looks like. Thanks for sharing this encouragement.
Blessings to you, Natalie, Chas, and Cameron!
Thanks for the encouragement as well. We are definitely in a different time. Bring back the kindergarten years! Tell Brad and Lydia Hello!