madameblogalot

If children are “like arrows in the hand of a warrior” (Psalm 127:4), I think I have forgotten my job. I heard a couple of times last week how our job as parents is to be like that of an archer, to align our children and shoot them forth. I also heard someone refer to what many parents do is to play the part of a goalie instead of that of an archer. We get so busy defending our home territory, that we forget it is our job to aim for the target and let our children fly. I know that for me, I too often find myself in the position of goalie and have forgotten that I need more training in being a precise archer. My kids are at an age when being a defending goalie almost provides more grief to them, and to myself, than letting them fly and miss the bullseye would. I need to go back over just what my role in their lives really is at this point. When my daughter chooses writing prompts that allow her to tell me how to be a better parent (”sometimes you need to just chill out!”), I think I need to reexamine my approach! I guess in letting the arrow fly, it’s wise to point to the center of the target, and let them know (and remind myself) that sometimes missing the bullseye is in fact training for one day hitting it-hopefully on their own!