Want to Raise Independent Kids? I Can Help

I know I have been a little quiet for the past couple of weeks. I’m sure you are probably beside yourself with worry, wondering why I have not been writing on the blog or posting much on social media. Have no fear; I am here to ease your mind.

The truth is that I have been busy working on some exciting things behind the scenes. Between running like a crazy woman trying to manage an uncharacteristically full schedule at home, I have been researching and writing like I’m running out of time. (I just saw Hamilton, so forgive the reference.)

One minute, I cannot wait to announce the plans I have been keeping under wraps. The next minute, I want to call the whole thing off because what I am about to do is bringing up every insecurity under the sun.

For several weeks, I have been feeling compelled to take my blog in a direction that I have been fighting mightily for a variety of reasons. But as much as I fight it and try to reason my way out, I cannot shake the overwhelming impression that I need to follow the path that is taking shape in my mind, even though it scares me silly.

You see, when I started blogging four years ago, I did so with the intent to write solely about parenting. I am SUPER passionate about that topic, and I wanted to share my child-rearing journey with other like-minded mothers.

After a while, somebody close to me told me in a roundabout way that I was parenting all wrong. She said she did not agree with my ideas, disliked my blog, and knew of others in my family who felt the same way.

Her criticism cut deeply, causing me to think twice about sharing my parenting philosophy with the world. From that point forward, I wrote parenting posts here and there but tried to avoid anything that might offend anyone.

In the meantime, my writing has been all over the place as I have tried in vain to pinpoint my message. The result for me, more often than not, has been frustration.

If I cannot write about the topic that tops my lists of passions for fear of offending those close to me, why am I even blogging? And if I follow my passion with my writing, will I inadvertently ruin relationships with people I love who are raising their children very differently than I? Can I risk relationships to follow my heart?

I hate conflict. I never want to cause offense. What I am realizing, however, is that I cannot make everybody happy, no matter how hard I try. If I water my ideas down to the point that nobody could possibly be offended, they lose their power. And I lose myself.

For too long, my fears and insecurities have held me hostage. I have been hiding from the voice in my head that keeps encouraging me to write about parenting and creating strong families. What if I am not qualified to teach people how to raise their kids when I am still in the middle of that process myself? I tried it before, and it came back to bite me.

But I can’t keep hiding. I cannot keep telling myself that my message should be different than the one that is burning within my heart. I must listen to my intuition that has stopped whispering and started screaming that the path God needs me to take is the very one I have avoided because it brings all my insecurities to the surface.

When push comes to shove, I know where I stand in the parenting arena, and am quite confident in the direction I am heading, even if others disagree. The principles I try to follow are sound, though I do not claim to execute them flawlessly.

My goal is to raise leaders who are confident in themselves and their ability to independently navigate the world. I am working tirelessly to that end. I will never say that I am a perfect parent. I make mistakes every single day, but I believe in family with all my heart.

The world is crying for competent leaders who will courageously take a stand for good. Home and family provide the perfect training ground for such leadership. It begins with parents who firmly, but lovingly guide their children and teach them how to stand on their own.

I have been reading, studying, and practicing these principles in my family for many years. So far, my kids are doing well. My eldest son is off on his own and thriving. My second is getting ready to graduate from high school and on a good trajectory. The other three are coming along. All five of them are already confident and capable of doing most things on their own (within reason). They are far from perfect, but they are not afraid to step up and lead.

If I can help other parents teach their kids to work hard, be independent, and become faithful and courageous leaders, I would be overjoyed. That, my friends, is my vision – the force that is driving me to push beyond my comfort zone and take a leap of faith.

To that end, I have created a free email course that I would love to share with you. It will walk you through the basics of raising independent children. I will teach you eight vital skills that every 18-year-old needs to know, complete with suggestions on how to teach them in the years leading up to the launch.

The concepts I teach in the course can be adapted to kids at any age. The earlier you start, the easier it will be, but it is never too late.

I will not be writing solely about parenting from this point on because I am also interested in a variety of other things. You will, however, see me leaning heavily in that direction for the time being. I hope you will join me on this new journey. Together, we can raise a generation of stalwart and self-assured leaders by teaching one life skill at a time.