What kind of parent are you: good or great?
Most people when asked this question are willing to label themselves as a "pretty good" parent but they are reluctant to put themselves in the "great" category because when they analyze their child’s behavior it seems less than perfect. If this is the case, then you are probably measuring the wrong thing. So what is the difference between a good parent and a great parent?
A good parent is one that is involved in their child’s life. They attend their child’s activities and get involved with their education and spiritual development. A great parent is more than just involved, they are strategic. A great parent knows their child, has goals for them and a plan to help the child achieve them.
Making a Plan
While becoming a strategic parent may seem like an overwhelming task, it is not as difficult as you may think. Taking in consideration things like your child’s personality, their love language, strengths and weakness you can begin to set goals for them that you can focus on during the year.
Over the last five years, my wife Sherry and I have looked at each of our children and tried to set goals for them in various aspects of their lives. We home school our kids so it is necessary to set academic goals but we also look at the character, spiritual and relational parts of who they are. Ultimately we want them to become who God wants them to be.
We needed a way to talk about these goals and write them down so we created what we call our four quadrant grid for each of our kids. Download Strategic Parenting Planning Sheet
First, we talk about their strengths and weaknesses. Then we write down their personality types, interests and their love language. As you talk and share about these things goals will naturally surface.
It is encouraging each year to look back over the previous years and see how each child has grown and developed.
