Don’t miss out on the great responses to the last topic: Her Life in a Fishbowl: My Kids Are Just Kids (Part 2)
Topic Introduction
Did you ever go overboard on your expectations of your own kids? What’s up with that? Were we embarrassed with their genuine, normal behavior? Did this have something to do with our own pride?
Give some examples of when your fishbowl children taught you some really good lessons. Some meaty godly truths. :
- Perhaps you can share some truths you learned as you watched your children.
- What have you learned about God’s wonderful sense of humor and His perfect choice of the child He gave you for living in this life in a fishbowl?
- Have you carried GUILT with your motherhood?
- Maybe you have a story to tell concerning a situation you went through with those in the church “observing” our children.
Wow. I had no idea this topic would still be so painful for me to discuss. Do you feel it too? Maybe it’s because we Mothers literally live for our most precious gifts on earth.
I sure have. I’ve always wanted to do it right by my children. I sure didn’t always accomplish that, however, I was committed and still am, to serving God in the role He put me in.
What Are Your Stories?
Anonymously respond to the prompt in the “Leave a Reply” box at the very bottom of this page.
Don’t forget, here’s how this works…
Each month a topic will be presented. I will give an introduction and an invitation to all of you who would like to respond to the topic. Ask questions. Tell your story. A little bit of crying and bellyaching is allowed, however, there will be limitations. Our goal is to find each other through our discussion of our shared experiences and to encourage each other. God will be with us!
Respond to the topic in the “Leave a Reply” box at the very bottom of the this page.
- Be sure to use only your initials in the section where it asks for first and last name, or give a pseudo-name to keep your identity private.
- Please, don’t give actual names of people or places as you tell your story. Protect. Protect. Protect.
It may be necessary for some editing of your submission to present a concise version. I will work (and pray) through your comment/response and then post both what you contributed and my own comment or response, as well as interaction from “the Sisterhood” I have received concerning it. Nearing the end of each month, I will inform you of the next month’s topic, to give the opportunity for you to prepare.
Did I ever go overboard in my expectations of my children? Boy did I!
Yes, I believe some times it was pride that caused me to expect them to be above others in their character behaviors.
I expected them to behave as a Christ-centered individual, and I knew most of the people around us expected that too.
I have since made many apologies to them regarding this, among other aspects of our family life. Not for believing that our ministry family had a responsibility to exemplify God working through our human-ness, but because, probably due to my pride, I was incorrect in what that behavior was supposed to look like.
I set the bar much too high for them, and caused them to suffer as they, many times, could not reach it.
Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger (do not exasperate them to the point of resentment with demands that are trivial or unreasonable or humiliating or abusive) but bring them up (tenderly, with lovingkindness) in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.