THE PARENTING MINDSET

Put forward in, Parenting Guide, is a simple mind-set (pun recognized) that new parents will come to embrace.  Once in the parent-thinking mind-set groove, many decisions and life choices involving children become obvious, or just cease to matter.  The parenting mind-set is just like the marriage mind-set, in that a couple (individuals) are joined and become another entity (partners).  As far as parenting goes, with the addition of children, the partner entity morphs, and becomes a family.   This does not mean parents or children lose their individual identities to the family, it’s more like another person joins them. There is me, there is you, and with baby, now there is us.  As more children are added to the family, it jokingly becomes me and you, and them.  

Make no mistake, the us part is real, indivisible and forever.  A critical part of the marriage and family partnering mind-set is that it is permanent. It cannot be undone, or taken apart any more than, a person may take apart their body, remove their head, or divorce their selves from their  feet.  After reading the prior sentence, if you are thinking, yes you can divorce your spouse and ditch your kids, then you are either being argumentative, don’t have kids, or you are not in the parent mind-set, at least not yet.  You will get there.

      The wisdom espoused in Parenting Guide pages is not new or earth shaking; it is common sense.  Common sense thinking plays a massive role in great parenting.  

     However, just because a person has a good share of common sense, does not mean they are thinking all the time about being a parent. 

       Many parents, or actually lots of busy people, are running on autopilot.  They go about their daily lives rushing from place to place, and then repeat month after month and the years fly by. Being on autopilot, suggests these people don’t think, on the contrary, they choose, not to think, except perhaps narrowly focused thinking, and then take the easy road in their warp speed lives.    

We can’t do anything about life in general, or the breakneck pace of society, but we can put a little personal spin on our part of the big picture.  We can choose to have a gloomy outlook or a sunny disposition each day.  We can smile or frown, and we can choose to enjoy, and excel at parenthood.  With a parenting mind-set, and employing practical common sense, we can set the wheels in motion so our children, ✔enjoy being our children, grow up, and carry on with their own children.

 ✔ A wise man once said, and this quote is attributed to several old dead people. “Everything in moderation, including moderation.”  These words may be applied to rich foods among other things, and when thinking parenting, moderation is  good.    All people are unique, all families and situations are different.  When we talk of parenting, there are many common one size fits all answers, but there are just as many children that the answers do not address.  The parents’ job is to take it all in, and be the best parent they can be.  

Parenting Guide is a convenient, timely reminder of  solid principles.

That Makes sense!