The Myth of the Perfect Parent

Maybe you've seen them...you know that "perfect" picture of some family on a billboard or a commercial. They look so happy...and perfect...and downright sickening.

At least when I look at them, they look too good to be true...too perfect...and it does something to me. For years, many people have labored as parents under the dillusion that there is some perfect example of what parents should be.

Here's a news bulletin for you...the perfect parent(s) don't exist. Every family has pain, trouble, heartache, and, most assuredly, dysfunction. There are no perfect parents, because there are no perfect people (except Jesus Christ). So here's the good news...stop attempting to live up to the people on the billboard...be who God called you to be.

There's also another false idea floating out there. It's the idea that if you do the right things with your kids (i.e. go to church, watch who their friends are, only let them watch certain tv shows, etc.) then you can guarantee your child will grow up to know and love the Lord. That, too, is a myth. Those things are good things and are attempts to care for our children the best we know how, but the reality is that there are no guarantees (just in case you're wondering, Proverbs 22:6 isn't a promise or a guarantee, although it is generally true).

When I ran across this article the other day, I absolutely knew I had to share it with you. Please read it...it's worth your time and is extremely thought-provoking. I don't know that I agree with everything written in it, but it sure made me think about some of those "myths" floating out there.

The Myth of the Perfect Parent