Do you practice active parenting? Or, are you content with the view from afar? This thought piqued some curiosity.

Here’s a question we asked the UNCOMMEN Community recently… What is the most recent milestone you’ve seen your child accomplish?

We received a wide range of answers. Read a few below:

• Recently married (2)
• Graduated College
• Starting their first job
• Walking his mom down the aisle at the wedding
• Son putting sentences together
• Daughter becoming more independent
• Youngest is crawling (2)
• Oldest graduating high school
• One-year-old birthday
• Drivers License (2)
• Daughter: Talking about getting baptized
• Teaching grandson how to work on cars
• Son living on his own in a different state
• Son had his first son
• Daughter purchased her first car…cash in hand!
• Both younger sons are doing great with potty training
• Riding his bike
• My four ½-year-old is reading short words
• Son finished middle school and starting high school.

Parenting Takes Real Effort

With parenting, you get only out what you put in. While all of our situations are different, and some can be very difficult, we all have the opportunity to have a ringside seat in their lives. We can choose to fall asleep in that seat, or we can use it to cheer, instruct, support, and love our children.

Recently, I had the joy of watching my oldest son get married. I also had the honor of standing in his wedding ceremony, so I was able to see him up close and pray for him during the service.

I’ve had the joy of watching my youngest son get married and become a father himself.

I’ve had the complete and total joy of becoming a grandfather to the world’s most beautiful baby girl.

I’m beyond blessed and thankful to God for those blessings. I certainly don’t deserve these gifts.

When we are blessed, do we pay attention? Do we cherish it? Do we sometimes take it for granted? Do we feel unqualified to have it?

9 Ways You Can Practice Active Parenting

Not all will be given the charge to be a parent. Some will get the privilege to adopt, foster, and serve as role models for those in need. It’s important to be ready to pour into a young person’s life. It will take effort. It won’t be easy.

Here are just a few ideas to help you get started with active parenting:

• Help them with schoolwork
• Listen to their concerns
• Encouraged them
• Give advice when needed
• Have the hard conversations
• Challenge them when they need it
• Give them chores (to prepare them for adulthood)
• Teach them tasks (change a tire, do taxes, make a budget, etc.)
• Help them with big life issues (college, marriage, children, house, etc.)

As I heard Phil Roberston say one time, “when it comes to parenting, I’d rather be too close than too far away.”

What does the Bible say about parenting?

Verses around parenting:

• “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” – Proverbs 22:6
• “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” – Ephesians 6:4
• “Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity,” – Titus 2:7
• “As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.” – 1 Peter 5:3
• “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” – 1 Timothy 5:8
• “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” – Hebrews 12:11
• “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” – Ephesians 4:29