TulipGirl's Take on Baby/Childwise...

TulipGirl is beginning a four part discussion on the teachings and parenting methods of the controversial Gary Ezzo...What Mike and I have come to realize in the almost six years that we've been doing this parenting thing is that...really...we have no clue what we are doing! :) We read several books, take several classes, talk to several people and we hear all sorts of different angles, all suprisingly, supposedly 'supported by scripture'...There are parenting styles/ programs from one extreme to the other. We have both come away from our childhoods with things we definitely agree we would try to avoid repeating, and then there are some things that our parents were right on about. Our parenting style is a melting pot of all sorts of different views, I would think. I am sure that if we had been following the 'Growing Kids' regime Niko's little tantrum the other day in the store that I had mentioned before probably wouldn't have happened. But if it had anyway, I am sure that I would be freaking out over where I am falling short as a mother and what I am doing wrong, rather than realizing that he is a self-centered child in the process of learning how to be considerate of others as well as learning civilized ways of communicating his emotions... But whenever Mike and I gather information and study something (on anything really), we don't take it at face value. We need to first and foremost size it up to scripture and our understanding of how our Heavenly Father deals with us and the world and then we try to reflect that onto our children. My goodness, does anyone really know the absolute 'right' way to do it...Michael Landon as Charles "Pa" on Little House on the prairie said this, "I can't tell you what the future holds, I can only look back at the past and learn from that" For some reason that comment made it so simple (and I can't believe I just quoted from 'Little House'). But thanks to our God that He does know the future, which is what humbles us to our knees to seek his direction and guidance and knowing that our future, our children's future, is safely held in His grasp, we are able to rest in the assurance that His goodness and grace will make up for the places we as parents fall short...

This will be an interesting discussion, nonetheless...Anyone reading out there, let me know your thoughts and insight....