an edited version of Ellen C. Braun

In today’s world of free speech, abundance of information and allowing each child to find his/her own personality, it is so important for a parent to have access to an authoritative source of guidance to help us steer our children in the right path. As a wife of a high school principal for at-risk teenagers, I have been fortunate to have attended many lectures, conferences, and conventions on the subject of education and parenting.

Here is one of the most fundamental parenting tips I have found: Don’t Let Your Child Be a Kangaroo! If you have not yet done so, you can watch RaisingSmallSouls’ popular movie, “Animal School” right here to gain parenting insights. (http://www.raisingsmallsouls.com)

What are your goals for your child? I think we can all agree that we want our children to be successful, however, how would you define ’success’? Is a successful child one who is financially well-off? What if she becomes wealthy and does not have successful relationships; would that child be condsidered a ’success’? Or, how about the child who grows up to fulfill his dream of being an illustrator, yet ends up living the lifestyle of a starving artist? Is a successful child the child that is happy? What if he is happy to be leading a life of illegal activities? What are the factors that ultimately characterize our children as successful people?

After years of dealing with many different children, it is my belief that ’success’ can be defined by a child actualizing his potential. When your child grows up to be all that he can be, that is a success, a product of effective parenting.

This begs a new set of questions: How do we know what our child’s potential is? Where can we learn about our child’s innate skills and talents, and how can we channel their energies in productive manners?

The fact is that each child is as unique as their fingerprints, and it would be impossible to provide you with personal advice within a general parenting article. However, I (Pastor Bruce now…) can share with you general parenting advice that is timeless and effective, success is seeing and hearing your child GRASP how wide and deep God’s CRAZY love is for them!

It is up to you to get to know your child at a deeper level, and that will allow you to intuitively guide her towards her potential and becoming the spiritual GIANT that sends tremors across the globe with their footsteps in God’s Kingdom.

Curiously…how many of these questions can you answer right now?

Who is your child’s best friend?

Who is his greatest hero?

What are her heartfelt dreams?

What is his favorite activity?

What is your child’s most precious possession?

Which talent would she hope to have?

What attributes of his personality does he consider unique?

If she is in the middle of reading a book, do you know its title?

When was the last time he got really angry, and has he gotten over the incident yet?

Who is her favorite teacher, and what is her best subject in school?

If you do not know some answers, let not your heart be troubled. You can start getting to know your child more deeply today! Write these questions down on a card and ask them throughout this fall.