Family Moro by Juvenco

Many people believe in the myth of the perfect parents – the ideal mother and father who raise happy, well-adjusted problem-free children. In truth, there is no such person as a perfect parent – or a perfect child.

Problem behaviour is common among children and takes up a significant portion of parents’ time. At any one time, on average, children have traits that their parents find difficult, such as not complying with simple requests, avoiding chores, spending too much time watching TV or playing videos, engaging in sibling rivalry or having difficulty completing homework, even dealing with their temperamentally difficult child.

That is part of being a parent. It is futile and self-defeating to try to be perfect or to raise perfect children.

Think back to how you behaved, or misbehaved, as a child, about how your parents dealt with your behavior, and how you felt about their disciplinary techniques. They were not perfect, but neither was anyone else. Do not try to overcompensate for their shortcomings by trying to be perfect yourself, and by getting caught up in statements like “I’m not going to make the same mistakes my parents made.”

All parents and all children make mistakes in their attempts to communicate and deal with one another and in trying to solve problems. Parents need to trust themselves and their instincts. Mothers and fathers tend to have good intuition and knowledge of their own children. They often know more than they think they do, and they should not be afraid of making mistakes. Children are resilient and forgiving and usually learn and grow through their mistakes. Parents tend to be just as resilient and forgiving.

As parents, they develop their own philosophy – one with which they feel comfortable – within a flexible and adaptable framework. At least, those are the things I could learn from Ko Moro and his wife. They take into account their own expectations, parenting style, and temperament, and how they fit with each of Alicia and Kayla, and their own unique preferences and temperaments. Their approach and philosophy will vary from youngster to youngster, mainly because of their own particular attributes.

Along the way, remember that professional help God is available if problems ever become too intense, exceed your own coping capabilities, or cause secondary difficulties such as a decline in school performance, increased family stress or serious emotional problems.

We should take comfort in God’s blessings by the fact that in the vast majority of cases, children under His comforts do turn out well. Last but not least, implement Ko Moro’s characteristics: keeping a sense of humour, trust your instincts and seek help and advice in Jesus Christ early. While parenting is a great challenge, it can also be one of the most rewarding and enjoyable experiences of your life.

MUA: Yuliana Gho