‘If only I’d done parenting differently…’ Really?

The Imperfect Parent’s household is going through a season of endings and of new beginnings, involving a fair amount of reminiscing, of celebration and of anticipation. And while there’s much thankfulness to God for too many mercies to count, there’s also regret at where we’ve failed.

Rare is the seasoned parent who does not look back over months and years without regret – usually with a touch of self-flagellation. As I ponder the last couple of decades, there are too many ‘if onlys’ to count. If only I’d not cared so much about what others thought of my parenting skills and more of what the Lord wanted of me.

If only I hadn’t envied the parent who home schooled; if only I could have home schooled instead of sending my children to state school. But then, it took years to dawn on me that I did home school – I just sent my children to school for some of their learning. And that was the Lord’s plan for us.