I have now officially been a parent for 7 years. Hard to believe. It has been simultaneously one of the greatest blessings and challenges of my life. 7 years of parenting makes me a rookie compared to many of you. Fortunately, I’ve pretty much already learned everything that there is to know about parenting.

Ok…if there were a sarcasm font, I would’ve used it for that previous sentence. I’m a parenting novice. I have, however, been keeping a list of observations from my brief stint in the parenting world. I decided to translate these observations–some of which I’ve learned from our mistakes and successes (mainly my mistakes), some of which I’ve learned from watching the successes and struggles of other families–into brief parenting proverbs (for lack of a better term). So, here you go.

Josh’s 20 parenting proverbs:

It takes ten times longer to unteach what your child saw you do than what your child heard you say.

Hell hath no fury like the wrath of a 2 year old who didn’t get his way. Scratch that. Hell hath no fury like a 13 year old who, as a 2 year old, always got his way.

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but insults from a parent break hearts.

A parent who always says “yes” will raise a child who expects God to do the same.

A parent who always says “no” will raise a child who expects God to do the same.

Place your security in the Lord-not in whether or not your kids think that you’re awesome. When they are older, your kids will place their security in the Lord, not whether or not others think that they are awesome.

In public and private, be consistent in your discipline (i.e. tone of voice, type of punishment, severity of discipline); and, your kids will be more consistent in their behavior in public and private.

Parents who delegate chores they are unwilling to do will raise kids who will believe certain tasks are beneath them.

Spare the rod, spoil the child. Never spare the rod; and, your kids won’t either.

Reasoning with a two-year-old (rather than disciplining) is as productive as reasoning with a 13-year-old whom you always tried to reason with and never disciplined.

Parents who are too busy for their toddlers will have teenagers who are too busy for their parents.

A child who rarely sees his parents pray will be a child whom his parents rarely see pray.

A child who witnesses his Dad pay for water at a restaurant but fill up his cup with Sprite is a child who will blur other lines of morality.

A child who is always given money and never earns it will be an adult who is a democrat. (JUST KIDDING PEOPLE…simmer down…just seeing if anyone is reading…)

A child who is allowed to make his own rules will be an adult who lacks respect for the rules of God.

Parents who complain about their bosses will have kids who complain about their parents.

A parent who always turns to shopping, alcohol, junk food, etc. during stressful times will have children who turn to worldly things rather than God during stressful times.

Parents who send their kids to bed rather than taking their kids to bed will miss out on some of the most important conversations of their lives.

Parents who are “too busy” to take their children to see their grandparents will have grandchildren who are often “too busy” to visit.

Love without discipline isn’t love; it’s coddling.
Discipline without love isn’t discipline; it’s wrath.

There you have it. Agree? Disagree? I enjoy debate…especially the type of debate in which I have the power to ignore or delete your thoughts…so, leave a comment.