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5 Ways You Are Ruining Your Child’s Life Without Even Realizing It

There are five parenting traps that many well-intentioned modern parents fall into without even knowing it.

Parents, It’s Your #1 Job to Get in Your Kids’ Way at All Times. Kids Do Not Deserve Privacy.

I am an assistant principal in a middle school (grades 6-8). When I have to search a student's cell phone, I often get sick to my stomach at what I find. It gets worse and worse every year.

WATCH: Mom Gives Birth to Family’s 1st Boy in 50 Years

"I just knew I was having a girl."

25 Things I Wish I Could Tell My 20-Year-Old Self

  1. Take more pictures.
  2. Bagels may be labeled low fat but they actually make people fat.
  3. Go on crazy dates with your husband. You are YOUNG.
  4. Don’t keep buying cribs. All of your babies will sleep in your bed.
  5. When you hear the words “dot com,” buy 100 of them. Namely, bible.com
  6. The plane won’t crash.
  7. Say no to the minivan right up front. They last for years.
  8. Keep a daily journal.
  9. Your kids are going to be amazing, just don’t run them so ragged.
  10. Do you want to be right or happy? Stop arguing over silly things.
  11. Just buy the leather couch…twenty years from now you will still want it.
  12. Invent Crossfit and Zumba.
  13. Appreciate your parents. They get SO wise. And they are just people who are trying really hard.
  14. When Scott does nice things for you, take it as a great big bear hug.
  15. Anxiety attacks are just fake fear. There is no wolf behind you. So relax.
  16. Go straight to the horn-rimmed glasses, those tiny frames will do you no favors.
  17. Walk each day. It will make you feel really great.
  18. Put those lovely children to bed a little earlier so you and Scott can have your own time at night.
  19. You are right about wanting a daughter for China…and she is so awesome.
  20. Look at your kids when they talk to you…especially after those dang smartphones get invented.
  21. Keep reading your Bible each night before bed. When you stopped, you struggled more in life.
  22. Give your friends lots of grace. They are doing their best.
  23. Read poetry and learn to drink red wine. Oops, that was two.
  24. Start saving now for your daughters’ weddings. (You will love your first son-in-law, by the way.)
  25. Expect less, be grateful for more. This will save you a lot of heartache.
What would you tell your 20-year-old-self?

 

Michelle Lindsey
Michelle Lindsey
Michelle Lindsey is a Jesus-loving wife of more than two decades and a homeschooling mom of four who blogs about what happens when romance meets reality (with her adult daughter!) at Nitty Gritty Love. You can find more Nitty Gritty Love on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.

5 Ways You Are Ruining Your Child’s Life Without Even Realizing It

There are five parenting traps that many well-intentioned modern parents fall into without even knowing it.

Parents, It’s Your #1 Job to Get in Your Kids’ Way at All Times. Kids Do Not Deserve Privacy.

I am an assistant principal in a middle school (grades 6-8). When I have to search a student's cell phone, I often get sick to my stomach at what I find. It gets worse and worse every year.

WATCH: Mom Gives Birth to Family’s 1st Boy in 50 Years

"I just knew I was having a girl."