Minute By Minute

My girls were in a Christian school. Then we took them out and put them in public school for 3 years. Now they are back at a Christian school. No one decision that we made concerning their schooling was necessarily wrong – it seemed like the right direction at the time.

There are books and books on parenting. Some very good ones. But no one book can tell you the exact way you should go for your family. It seems like there is always a “different” scenario when it comes to your individual unit and so a “set” plan always needs to be tailored or filtered to fit where you are at, at any one point in time. 

I think parenting is in reality, more a “minute by minute” thing. Some days you are flying by the seat of your pants and other days you feel like you know where you are headed and what you are actually doing! It’s just something that you have to feel and pray your way through. You have to truly know the character, personality, and heart of your kids. You have to understand your own vision and “bent” in life based on how you were raised and where you came from, as well. It’s day to day – minute by minute.

Don’t let anyone make you feel guilty for thinking you were headed one direction yesterday but then you changed your mind and are heading in a new direction today. Sometimes that happens. Family life is ever-changing, ever growing. It needs to be pliable and flexible.

When my child is sassing me or making choices I don’t agree with; I’m having to go minute by minute to decide how best to correct and guide. When I don’t know the best answer to a parenting dilemma, sometimes you just have to get creative, use your gut instincts, and go minute by minute.  There’s nothing wrong with that.

Prayer only takes a minute.

A hug only takes a minute.

Saying “I’m sorry” only takes a minute.

A tear can fall in a minute.  And trust can be broken irrevocably in a minute. 

Sometimes going minute by minute is all we can do and sometimes it’s the best way to go. For we can better see what is at-hand and in front of us and deal with it without trying to overwhelm overselves and think of everything all at once.

As long as you’re learning and growing – that’s what truly counts. You don’t want to repeat the same mistakes over and over again or stay rooted on unhealthy ground. You want to be moving forward – as a mom – and as a family.

Take a deep breath, do a lot of praying, and just take that step. One foot and one minute at a time.