Being there for your kids - Let the Christmas Giving Spirit be all Year

Episode Date: January 29, 2019

Parents who know, understand and respond to their child's needs and feelings are practicing servanthood parenting. That does not mean giving in all the time. Always giving in just promotes your child's sense of entitlement with no accountability. Yet, if you are truly practicing servanthood in your parenting your children, you help them manage stress better, develop emotional intimacy, and speak up for themselves. You are still the boss, and there are still boundaries and accountability, but there are also more teachable moments and a stronger family bond.

Hi, I'm Dr. John Robinson, licensed to clinical psychologist, and this is Teachable Moments. This time of the year, it's all about the giving. Some folks believe that Christmas season should be year-round. Is that because all of the giving or all of the getting? Servanthood parenting is not about the getting, it's about the giving. We should be servants to our children. What? It's not about doing everything for your child. That sets the stage for children feeling entitled and being demanding. It is about godly parenting, where you know your child, needs and feelings, you anticipate, you guide, and you find teachable moments. God sent parents to children to be his emissaries. Jesus is our parenting role model. His parenting, his flock, is the ideal

role model for our parenting our children. Through his ministry and example, he gained an earned authority to convey wisdom to his followers. He preached servanthood in Matthew 1930, where he explained that the last shall be first and the first shall be last. When my kids were vying for seats in the car on car rides, my rule was the one who called dibs got to pick last. Since neither one wanted to go first, I could use the seat placement as a reward. Do it because I said so. We'll get you a fearful compliance at the expense of emotional intimacy and meaningful relationship. As servant parents, we developed earned authority where our children follow our direction because they want to, not only because they have to. During Christmas and other seasons of our lives is truly about the

giving. This has been teachable moments with Dr. John Robinson. Teachable Moments, Building Blocks of Christian Parenting, is available online at AmazonBooks.com and in local and national bookstores. More on Dr. Robinson at TMC-P-I-N-C.com.