Preparation for Parenting

Blake and I took a class called Preparation for Parenting before Parke was born. It goes right a long with Babywise, the oh so controversial little book. Since having Parke I have struggled with things here and there with what this "book" has to say. There have been times I've thought, "what do they know", "who wrote that book anyway", etc. These normally come in times when Parke is crying and I am mad at the people who say I should let him! Ha. I have sometimes struggled with the "rules" and if I'm breaking them or not. I would say the first 6-7 weeks of Parke's life those little "rules" stressed me out! Is he eating when he is "supposed to", sleeping when he is "supposed to", on and on and on.....

Last night was a night similar to those thoughts. Parke cried more than usual at bedtime and we layed in bed thinking "should we...shouldn't we....". We prayed too and tried to do what was right for Parke. A prayer for wisdom but also a plea "Lord please comfort him, make him stop crying...now, NOW!!!  I'll tell you other thoughts going through my mind too were: Why does this only happen at night? What if I just went in really quick and got him to sleep? It's been a long day, can't you just fall asleep like you did last night without crying? I wanted to go to bed early, you are keeping me up little one!

So this morning, I sat with a little cup of coffee and prayed. I then opened up this little book (Prep for Parenting/Kingdom Parenting) and was encouraged by the Lord. You see, what I forget about the philosophy of Prep for Parenting is to pray in all circumstances and to do what is best for YOUR CHILD. Sure, there are things they recommend and it probably works with most children. I often get stuck on what is most controversial, the crying it out method. I don't remember how often they say to cuddle, play, pray, hold and to sooth your baby. They also repeat to Pray for wisdom and then take action. So the paragraph the Lord gave me this morning said:

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God (James 1:5). A parent's working definition of wisdom is action based on knowledge of God's word, his child's ways, and principles of infant mgmt. Pray that you might accurately determine why your child is crying and then respond to the cry as God would have you. James 4:2 says that often we do not have because we do not ask. Keep in mind God's character. He responded in many different ways to the cries of His children, and each response was correct. 


I love the sweet reminder that God too responds to our cries, my cry, and what each one looked like. My goodness, I cried for years in infertility and miscarriage but His answer was "not now". He was still responding, it just wasn't instant. Instead, he did what was best for my heart, my growth and my love for Him in guiding me in His timing. He still loved me, soothed me, rocked me, sang over me, and held me during those times. How thankful I am for His reminder this morning.

 How sweet the Father's love for me.