Parent with Passion

Writing.  Speaking.  Teaching.  Auburn Football.  Playing at interior design.   These are a few of the things I am passionate about.

Fashion design.  Dance.  Justin Beiber.   These are a few of the things my tween daughter is passionate about.

When I speak {write} of parenting with passion, I’m not referring to your passion for your children.  Nope!  Not this time … I’m talking about those activities or pursuits in life beyond your kids.     Those things matter!  They matter a lot.

Embrace your passions.

Whatever they are, make time for them!  Don’t feel guilty about wanting to scrapbook or read the latest NYT best seller.   If you love creating – create!  If you love reading – read!  When we do those things we love, we are more content, more encouraging, more energetic in the rest of our lives.   When we embrace our passions, we become better moms.    We teach our children a valuable lesson:  We teach them that we are more than just “mom” … we are uniquely created just like they are!  We show them the beauty of individuality and of doing the things we love alongside the things we must.  {And what a great moment when those two are the same!!}

Invite your children into your passions.

I write and teach Bible studies.  My daughter knows this.   She knows how I study and that I still prefer to write with pen on paper as I outline rather than doing it on the computer.   I’ve shared my love for teaching the Word with her.   I’ve also taught her to scrapbook and to make handmade cards.   I’ve asked her opinion on rearranging furniture and accessories.   By inviting her into my passions, I’ve shown her parts of me that she might not otherwise understand … and I’ve also let her know that I want her to be a part of the important things in my life, just like I want to be a part of the important things in her life.

Encourage their passions.

 Finally, encourage your child’s passions.   I’ll admit, I’m not a “Belieber” … but I did watch the movie with my girl and gained a new respect for Justin who seems to (so far) have his head on straight.   I’m also not all that interested in fashion.   But she loves to draw dresses and outfits so I bought her a big photo album and lots of index cards so she could create a portfolio of her designs.   {I also ask her pick out my clothes for me … the girl has serious skills in this area.}   Her passions don’t have to be the same as mine.   But, they are just as important as mine are.   Helping our children try new things and explore new interests is a great opportunity for us to be front row observers of their developing personalities.   Why would we want to miss that??

Parenting with passion teaches us some important lessons.   First, that we are better moms when we are fulfilled people.  Second, that our children want to be a part of our lives in more ways than we often allow them.   And third, that watching our children develop their passions can become one of the most rewarding aspects of parenting.

What are you passionate about?  How have you involved your children in your passions?  How much do you know about the passions of your kids?

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The 4 P’s of Parenting … we’ve covered parenting with purpose, 10 ways you can parent with purpose, and parenting with passion. Come back tomorrow for Parenting with Praise. Just to make sure you don’t miss a post in this series, please take a moment to subscribe for daily updates in your email. All the previous posts in Starting Well in 2012 are indexed here.

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