One Thing that Will Make You a Better Parent

This post isn’t long, because it doesn’t need to be. Deep down I know what I need to do to be a better parent.

One Thing That Will Make You A Better Parent:

I don’t need to find another educational activity on Pinterest. I don’t need to read another book on parenting. I don’t need to listen to another podcast.

One thing that will make you a better parent today - lindseymbell.com

What I do need to do is this:

Put the phone down. Turn off the TV. Shut down the computer. Turn off Facebook notifications. (Better yet, turn off all notifications on my phone. Since when do I NEED to know what’s happening with someone half way across the country at the second it’s happening?) Close the book. Leave the dishes for another day.

I need to stop running through my to-do list while I’m simultaneously playing Uno with my kids.

I need to be present. I need to be in the moment. 

My kids are only going to be five and eight once.

When I look back on my life twenty years from now, I’m not going to wish I spent more time on Facebook or watched more TV or did the dishes sooner or kept up with laundry better.

I will never regret time spent with those I love….but I might regret the time lost.

Will you join me this coming week in being in the moment?

I love this quote by Jim Elliot:

“Wherever you are, be all there.”

*This post was originally published in 2012, but has been updated here.

lindseymbell

Lindsey Bell is the author of Unbeaten and Searching for Sanity. She's also a blogger at lindseymbell.com, a speaker, a mom of two, an avid reader, a minister's wife, and a lover of all things chocolate.

This Post Has 10 Comments

  1. Lindsey Bell

    So very true, Crystal. Thanks for sharing!

  2. Lindsey Bell

    You're very welcome. Thanks for hosting:)

  3. Bekki Lindner

    Have been thinking about this a lot lately too (as I sit here at my computer…sigh..) Well said friend.Thanks for linking up!

  4. crystalbrothers

    I totally agree! I actually wrote a very similar post in my own blog about 4 years ago when my oldest son was a few months old. He was a VERY needy baby, and had colic, and I remember I would get SOOO frustrated trying to do it all. Finally, God really convicted me of that attitude. The rest can wait. And, I've found that when I can shut down the rest of the world and truly focus on them for a while, then it reassures and I'm actually able to get a lot more accomplished and with less stress, because they know that I will be there and they are a lot less clingy.

  5. Lindsey Bell

    Absolutely. It might be harder, but it's totally worth it:)

  6. Kim

    Simply and powerfully said. It works so much better than just throwing more money or toys at them!

  7. Lindsey Bell

    I agree. Definitely!

  8. Colleen

    So very true. I also feel that as we practice being in the moment more, we feel more love for those around us. 🙂

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