Image: by Sergey Nemo, SA, Pixabay Image: by Sergey Nemo, SA, Pixabay

Moms and dads, especially single moms and dads, struggle to find the strength to guide their children with both truth and love. As parents who are dividing their time with their children, some moms and dads don’t want to “waste” precious moments with their children by bringing up or addressing potentially troubling parenting issues. Secretly, they hope either the problem they are observing will just resolve itself over time, or they prefer to have their ex-spouse handle the matter, on their own time.

What’s lacking in this type of thinking is that problems generally exacerbate with time and often create larger, more serious consequences for the child and the family as a whole when not addressed early on. Second, kids need to hear words of truth, instruction, guidance, and counsel from both of their parents…over the course of their entire lives.

Unfortunately, when either side of the truth and love continuum is lacking, so is the potential for effecting lasting change. Author Larry Julian writes in his text, God is My Coach, “Where love binds, truth confronts and challenges.” Julian explains, “Love and truth  must be combined to be effective. Truth without love can be hard, condescending, and judgmental. Alternately, love without truth may provide comfort, but limits the ‘child’s ability to learn and grow.”

Parents who say they truly love their child will see to their child’s best interests by swiftly, consistently, and actively assuming their parental role at every juncture. Moms and dads who want the best for their children continually look to their child’s future and ask themselves if they are demonstrating real love and challenging poor attitudes, faulty thinking, or unwise choice with solid truth?

Together, truth and love, is a mighty and influential parental skill that can’t be minimized or ignored. Concludes Julian, “Truth and love together create a powerful life force. Love affirms the dignity of the individual and the truth helps the individual grow.”

Copyright 2015, Michele Howe

Image: by Sergey Nemo, SA, Pixabay

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