Making Many Mistakes as a Parent
A parent talked to me about his efforts with his children. “I’ve learned so much from the Parenting Training, but the more I learn the more stupid I feel. I’m still making so many mistakes. I feel small and defective.”
“I love working outside,” I said. “I tend shrubs, trees, flowers, an entire lake, a dam, a creek, outbuildings, paths, walls, pumps, and much more. I used to grow a vegetable garden, and my favorite seed to plant was peas. Why? Because they sprouted so quickly, and every single plant began as two identical leaves on opposite sides of a stem poking from the ground.
“Not once did I ever look at that miracle and think, ‘Yuck, small and defective,’ even though those first two leaves by themselves were utterly useless. They were simply immature and growing, and I knew they would—if properly nourished and protected—become a vine producing many delicious peas.”
As parents learn how to love and teach, they will make many mistakes. They will be ignorant about what to do or say next. But they’re not defective, just immature and growing, like those first two leaves growing from a seed in the ground.
