Life's Greatest Calling

One of the hardest, and most important things we will ever do on Earth is create and raise children. I hope I have made it clear the past 12 weeks, that children are essential and that we should not delay having children. The children today, are our futures tomorrow.
On this blog I have covered how to date, courtship, communication in dating/marriage, preparing for marriage, the importance of marriage, and sexual intimacy; so the only logical thing to cover next is raising children.
I can not tell you HOW to raise children, but I can tell you what it is children need to thrive.
There are five needs I am going to touch upon. While there are many, many, MANY more needs, I feel these are the ones many parents don't always recognize.
The first need is: Need for contact and belonging
When a child is not receiving enough contact or he feels as though he doesn't belong, what does he do? He seeks undue attention. Those who are seeking undue attention, usually come off as "annoying" or "needy" or maybe they just cannot sit still--they bounce from place to place to be around people. You could go anywhere right now and see a child craving for contact and for attention, it is getting more and more common. What can/should parent's and or caregivers do to fulfill this need? They should offer contact to the child freely. Be there for him and encourage him to contribute to the family whether it is in chores or in any other sense.
The second need is: Power
Having some sense of power of their own life is essential to not only them, but to you and I. If a child feels powerless, he tends to rebel and control others. If he can't control himself, he will control someone else. What is the parent's response to this? Let them have choices and let them deal with the consequences of their choices. Do not assume their problem, you can assist, but ultimately it is theirs to fix. This will give them a sense of Response-- ability.
The third need is: Protection
A child's reaction to not feeling protection (emotionally or physically) is to seek revenge. A caregiver should respond with assertiveness. While they are lacking something they so desperately want, you must respond with firm confidence. Children do not know everything and need to be taught certain lessons. Make sure to teach them forgiveness through example and word. Show your love to them.
The fourth need is: Withdrawal
When a child is feeling withdrawal he will seek undue avoidance. He will avoid tasks and avoid doing anything they don't want to do. It is important that the caregiver teaches them to take a break, take a moment for themselves, and then go back to the task.
The fifth and final need is: Challenge
We need challenge in life. We need to feel challenged and feel like everything we do is worth doing.  When a child does not feel any challenge unduly take risks. This can be very dangerous and life threatening. A parent's response should be to teach skills. Teach them new things and have skill building activities. Play sports, learn a new instrument, practice math, etc.

Parenting is complicated and time extensive, but it is so worth while. A child needs to know that you care for them. Don't focus solely on their behavior focus on helping them and loving them.
M Popkins said, to protect and prepare a child to survive to thrive in the world they will live in is the ultimate purpose of parenthood.
Parenthood hood is a learned thing, it is not something that you can learn within a day, it takes time and practice. Knowing before hand what you can do as a parent and what you need to do for the benefit of your child is crucial. This is your greatest calling in life, enjoy every moment of it.

Live happy,
karlie