clean slate

Parenting is an amazing challenge.It is fun to learn to bond with each child..they are all so different! As I learn about each of them, I  gain knowledge and wisdom. At the same time, the kids grow and develop too. So I keep all my knowledge and experience to equip me for anything, but I've realized that I also need to wipe my  slate clean with each kid so I can react to them individually.  What's good for one kid is not necessarily good for the other.  I need to think about what makes that kid tick using their love language, their birth order, their good and bad experiences, their competitiveness, their sensitivities.   I need to take time to respond with strength and sensitivity.   Some kids open up easily, while others require me to probe to prove that I care...yet as they get older, I have to learn when to give them freedom and when to reign them in. When they proove themselves academicely, I need to be careful to watch their social interactions.  Most importantly,  I think they need to know that I love them no matter what. I'm human and make mistakes,  but at the end of the day, if we give hugs and prayers, including confessions to God and to each other, and lots of laughs, I've done the best I can as a parent.