Knowing when to share our words of wisdom is a hard thing to do as your children grow older. They are growing,but at that same time,many think they know just a little more than you,but weren't we all that way at that age? When do we share our opinion? Do we just give it freely,or do we wait for it to be asked for? Sometimes I think we can say too much,and not listen enough. But,what happens when are children are falling and we are just sitting there watching it happen? I have learned the answer to this,we pray. We pray without ceasing,and with all our hearts put into those prayers. Ofcourse, as parents we want to give our advise.We could use the phrase,well,if you were being tested for cancer,would you want your doctor to tell you the truth,or sugarcoat it and say you were just fine? If your neighbors house was burning down,would you not run in and save them from the fire? We have to give our children room to grow and room to make mistakes.That is how they learn. We cannot be with them at all times,and to be honest,they dont need us to be. They need us to be there for them when they need us,they need us to steer them in the right direction and to pray for them. I have learned this the hard way at times. I have seen my children making mistakes,but I jumped in too fast to try to fix things,and end up making them worse. Believe me, it was out of love.I didnt want to see them fall,but ya know what? They fall,and they learned to patch their knees up,and they learn to stand again with all the life lessons that come at them. We cannot keep our children in a bubble,nor can we wrap them in bubblewrap to keep them from hurting. Its sometimes that hurt, that mistake, that makes them grow into wonderful,loving adults. We should give our advice when it is asked for,and learn to pray more,learn to listen more,and correct without judgement.Wouldn't it be nice if we could have a practice family with five kids,and learn as we go,then when our real family comes in,we know exactly what to do? It is funny with the first child things are hard,and our choices as parents are not always the best,but by the time the fifth one comes along,we pretty much know what we are going to face,and we have learned along the way,and our decisions are much better!! We can give our advice,but it is up to our children if they choose to take it. We cannot make them,we can only be examples,and love them through it all.
