Mama Mare POV: The Effects on a Child’s Well-being when a Parent asks for Forgiveness

 

  We need to all admit as parents, we have fallen short (or short tempered) with our children and in God’s sight. We have all gotten overly angry and have snapped with snapping turtle harshness. 

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭3‬:‭23-24‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We all get to our breaking (not so gentle parenting) points, and have been too hard on our children. In that anger, we sin, and hopefully, feel a guilty conviction (with underlying redemption). 

What happens to children’s minds when we overreact as parents:

Reactive anger causes children to be shocked with temporary “mind-paralysis”. They shut down and creep into themselves. 

Confused looks and minds start to shade their day with a lone eeriness.

They feel belittled from bashing mouths and overreactive expressive behavior from parents who have lost their footing. 

As parents, inflicting unnecessary stress upon your children is a sign of your loose tongue. 

What should you do when you loose your footing, and your tongue and flesh become unbridled? Apologize to your children:

Ask for forgiveness and re-bridle your child with loving importance. (When forgiveness is asked of, the future generation will also have forgiving hearts tacked with mercy.)

There were a few instances in my life when my dad would let loose his tongue. Even though the slip-ups, I always remember a humble and contrite dad opening my door slowly and saying, “Brandy, would you forgive your old dad?”

Right then, my young mind would re-adjust with relief. My mind woke up from the bedded isolation. 

When my dad humbly apologized, he re-bridled my heart with family togetherness. He re-bridled me with value. 

As parents, we all fall short and slip up on mouthy banana peels. We are not exempt from provoking our children and sinning against them.   

When we let our mouths loose, we need to ask God and for our children’s forgiveness. We need to walk to their rooms, open the door, and show them the “peace bridle”. 

Re-bridle their hearts and minds with humble love and re-tack family fellowship. 

Children will slip out of loneliness and back into the living room of lightheartedness.