“Perfect” Parenting (by Cathe Laurie)

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11 KJV).

Christmas is a week away. Isn’t that crazy?

This is typically the time for chaos! As we prepare for Christmas Eve services, Christmas dinners, and all the excitement and magic of Christmas morning, time seems to fast-forward as we count down the days.

The Stress of Parenthood

I feel for first-time parents in this season, especially. There’s a lot of pressure out there! Especially following the rise of Pinterest and social media, it feels like there are a thousand more things to do than when I was raising kids.

But even outside of Christmas, there can be so much pressure and stress in raising children.

When my son, Christopher, was only six months old, our family went on a trip to Maui. I expected he would sleep the entire plane ride there and be ready to start the vacation with us. I’m sure most experienced parents are already laughing. . . of course, Christopher did not sleep a wink that night.

Okay, I thought, at least he’ll be exhausted and sleep tonight! Wrong…again!

Little Christopher didn’t sleep for the next two nights! Not a wink! The poor little guy was completely exhausted, as was I! I thought the whole trip was a mistake, and actually told Greg to just send me home with Christopher so we could get him back to his own routine and get him (and me!) some rest.

Greg told me to give it one more day. . . so I did. And that next day, he slept! It was a miracle! And for the first time on vacation, I got to breathe a little.

A Reminder to Parents

As parents—especially first-time parents—we can easily think we’re doing everything wrong. It’s tempting to just throw in the towel and/or sit in our own self-doubt and tell ourselves we’re failing. It’s a miserable place to be!

And add on the holiday stress on top of that? Forget about it!

So, to all the parents out there, and especially those who are going through all of the “firsts” with your babies, I just want to remind you. . . you’re doing a good job. Remember, the Lord is with you. Especially in this beautiful time of the year, He is touching you in a special way. He is present with you, He is watching your babies with more love than we could ever comprehend, and He is so proud of you for raising them to love Him!

This Christmas, take a breath. Take a moment to soak it in and enjoy it. Your babies won’t ever be this little again. Time will fly by, and soon enough, they’ll be adults and having babies of their own! So don’t worry about everything being perfect. Just be present. Be prayerful. Be purposeful. That’s what they’ll remember most.

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Cathe Laurie is the founder and director of the Virtue women’s ministry. She is also a featured speaker on The Virtue Podcast, at Harvest events, and the author of As I See It. You can find her weekly articles here on harvest.org.