Parenting in 2022, Messy and Risky!

Have you taken a few minutes out early in the year to figure out how you’d like 2022 to be...

Have you taken a few minutes out early in the year to figure out how you’d like 2022 to be different for you and your family? Welcoming God into these times of thought will help align our thoughts to His purposes (always a good place to be).

It’s Not Too Late

It’s not too late to spend some time imagining what you as an interested, involved, concerned parent can do to “be a better parent” in the year ahead.

A tough role, indeed, but being a parent is perhaps the most noble – and significant – calling that you and I have in life.

But similar to COVID-19, it can seem a never-ending commitment. Contrary to a frothy Netflix happy family, parenting is in reality a tough ask, with little training. It is messy and risky, to put it mildly – and this, in a context where nothing is a certainty in South Africa.

Being Intentional In 2022

As parents, we are somewhat constrained by things like the resources we have, the circumstances we were born into, and the current social conditions. Yet, each of us has deep within the capacity to bring about change, especially in the lives of our families.

We are leaders, placed by God to be managers of children and resources, and placed in various contexts to play meaningful roles.

Creating an atmosphere of love is key to helping our families thrive (1 Peter 4:7-10).

My Manifesto

During the recent local elections, it was interesting (and pretty amusing) to read some of the parties’ manifestos – declarations of policy and aims, aimed at addressing some of the challenges our country faces. Each sought to attract attention, secure a vote, or put out a series of promises…

Here are the 9 things I would put in place right away if I could wave a magic wand in South Africa for 2022:

  • Every family sitting together at meal-times;
  • Every kid and parents playing sport and getting out into nature;
  • Every parent attending School Parent Evenings;
  • Every kid having access to decent school amenities;
  • Every learner having to study History through to Matric level;
  • Every kid able to enjoy safe and fun spaces at church, especially midweek;
  • Every young Christian becoming a Bible-reader and welcomed into opportunities to minister at church;
  • Every young adult guided to eventual employment, through a caring, involved church;
  • Every father and mother keeping their promises as best they can…

Impossible? Maybe… What might your manifesto look like? Our manifestos say a lot about what we value. (For a good example of a Biblical “manifesto”, see the Beatitudes in Matthew 5.)

Helping Our Kids Navigate Their Way

Our kids can’t choose who their parents are; our responsibility is thus HUGE.

One of the great modern parenting resources out there is Future-Proof your child (Parenting the Wired Generation), by Nikki Bush and Graeme Codrington. Their 10 steps to future-proofing your child are well worth digging into… My favourite 3 are:

  • Understand your changing environment and contemplate the world of the future;
  • Build a family brand e.g. sport involvement;
  • And Help your children develop the X-factors for success and create their Talent Profile.

And I really like the words of Dan Allender they refer to:

“To be great parents, we must allow our children to shape our lives. We must not only guide and shape our children, but we must also go to them as students of life… Life doesn’t unfold in a straight line, and our children aren’t computer programmes. Parenting is far from a scientific pursuit; it’s messy and risky and a huge leap of faith.”

Enjoy the ride, and bring on 2022, messy and risky or not!

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Author: Alan Pitt
Alan plays tennis and at times serves as SU Operations Director. Married to Cath, Alan is blessed with two amazing children. Tegan works as a physiotherapist in the Eastern Cape (Madwaleni Hospital) and Thomas is into nature management (at a game farm near Ceres). Alan remains a Novak Djokovic and Liverpool fan.
Published: 15 February 2022
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