Parenting, though a very serious business has a lot of fun attached to it. Come to think of it, every married couple feels a kind of vacuum within a few months after marriage if there is delay in conception by the woman. Inherent in the feeling of loss is the unvoiced expectation of a baby to cuddle, breastfeed and bond with to gratify the gaping yawn for motherhood, which is mistaken for parenting. When a baby does arrive, the joy in the mother's heart knows no bounds until the baby's cries and other unsettling activities manifest. Young mothers need not be overwhelmed with the demanding responsibilities of child care especially with respect to parenting. Parenting derives its pleasure from a commitment to raising offspring that would turn out a blessing in the long run for the child, parents and society following the obedience of parents to the demands of the creator God. God in his infinite wisdom has given children parents for a purpose: to nurture offspring that will propa
P roper parenting is godly parenting. God has a purpose and plan for the family. God is sovereign in that the book of Genesis, the record of the beginnings, has it that "In the beginning God..." We read this in Genesis 1:1. This speaks to the fact that life is all about God. It is clear that apart from God there is nothing else. No God, no beginning; no creation. It is that simple. We must understand this as it also speaks to the fact that God assumes sole ownership - patent right over all creation. Hence, God dictates and decrees the way. We read in Genesis 18:17-19, the demands of God as he apparently boasted about his friend Abraham. That he was fully aware that Abraham would unfailingly direct his children and household after him to follow God's way by obeying all his commands. God was confident that Abraham would be a role model in children's proper upbringing. We thus realise that God's purpose and plan for the family is that the name of God should be tran