I need to admit something:

My child acts like a child.

I know. Sounds ridiculous to me too. Of course she acts like a child — she is one, after all.

Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him {her}.

Proverbs 22:15 ESV

I think this might be Solomon’s wisest proverb. Seriously. It’s so obvious … but incredibly hard to live out. Basically, he’s saying, “Kids are going to do foolish things. But as parents, our job is help them mature into wisdom.” And we all nod our heads in agreement but agreeing with something isn’t the same as that thing being easy.

The older she gets the harder it is for me to put this simple truth into practice. It’s hard. Just really hard. My daughter doesn’t understand why I say no to Snap Chat and it makes me mad. She says the most incredibly wise things and I’m overwhelmed by how much she’s growing. She resists my advice and my feelings get hurt.

There are moments when she is mature and discerning and I feel like we must be doing something right. But a split second later {or so it seems} she is throwing the 14-year-old version of a temper tantrum and I feel like a failure.

Do you see the problem?

I’m gauging my parenting on the behaviors of a hormone-riddled teenager.

How utterly ridiculous is that?

But I’m guessing I’m not the only one who finds herself caught in this cycle. In fact, I’m willing to bet the ice cream in my freezer you’ve done it too. And it doesn’t matter if your child is two or twenty-two … we look at their behavior and judge our ability at mothering based on it.

Here’s the thing, we just can’t do that! I know, it’s not that easy to quit. Believe me, I know. But, y’all, we have to remember that our children are going to act like children. And our job isn’t to judge ourselves based their behaviors but to guide them, to love them, to encourage them, and yes, even to discipline them along the way.

No matter how mature your child may be sometimes, she is still a child. And she needs you to be her mom. She may not want that … in fact, there will may even be times she lets you know how much she doesn’t want that. But stand firm! Love her the best you can … give her the boundaries she needs and the space she needs. Let her make mistakes and learn from them. Let her relish her success and dream big. Be the safe place she can land when the storms leave her shaken.

It won’t always be easy. It won’t always be fun. But it will be worth it!

Cheering you on,
Teri Lynne

Do you find yourself frustrated when your child acts like a child? How do you respond?

{image source: FreeDigitalPhotos.net/photostock}