I'm Not Your Friend...I'm Your Parent.

As I sit here alone for the moment, I know I am not the best parent. I do what I can and I know I will make mistakes, but I try very hard to do the right thing. The rules and instructions I make and enforce are often unpopular among the under-18 members of our family. However unpopular they may seem, they are necessary.

I am not cool in the eyes of my children. I am not the one they want to hang out with on a regular basis. We are not always exactly friendly.

I am not here to be their friend at this stage in their lives. They can make friends at church and school. I am here to be a parent. I am to guide them in the way they should go. We will have times where we butt heads and even fight, but I know one day, they will see the benefit in my rules and yes, even my lectures. One day, my words will come out of their mouthes to their children. It will happen despite how many times they say now "I will never do that to my kid or make my kid do that!" One day, I will not be as dumb as they think I am now and they will not be as smart as they think they are now.

This week, our community experienced a tragic event when a local teen was killed in an automobile accident. Hearing news like that makes a responsible parent even more inclined to teach her/her children proper driving skills and the importance of making good choices so that the same fate is not met.

No one intentionally chooses mean, unfair, demanding, know-it-all people as friends. I am sure my children look at me as mean, unfair, demanding, and know-it-all most of the time. However, I'm not their friend. I'm their parent.

Proverbs 22:6, New Century Version (NCV)
Train children to live the right way, and when they are old, they will not stray from it.