An interesting article on parenting

I'd encourage everyone to look over this article. Even though I'm a single/never been married/no kids guy, I still feel like this guys might be onto something. I've seen how sheltered most kids are, especially in the church. As usual, an issue in the unbelieving world so easily translates into the church. Perhaps in this case it's actually amplified?

Even I sometimes wonder how I made it. My parents let me make mistakes and spend significant amounts of time away from them and yet I'm still here to write this. Are parents overprotective? Is this overprotection for the kids or the parents? Are parents more concerned with living vicariously through their children then in allowing their children to grow and develop naturally? This would explain the high amount of folks I meet in the church who seem to be living in a fantasy world where no one ever suffers or dies. A fantasy world where they can actually meet the perfect spouse who will never hurt them, piss them off, get sick, die, betray or leave them. I want to tell these folks to stop looking for Jesus Christ in a sinful person, but I know it would do no good and they would simply say "of course I'm not looking for perfection and that's nonsense to think I'm looking for God in human beings." Yet they still fall for the image over substance and get dooped by someone who knows how to play the game better then they do.

Anyway, I digress... Put your faith in the Lord and not your own power to be a "good" parent. Your children are (or will be) God's property and never forget that. Focus instead on becoming a more Christ like person and your children will see this. Try your best to make your words line up with your actions. Your children will see this as well and I can promise you this will have an impact on them. I can't imagine a more proud moment for a parent then to see their child perform a truly selfless act. I saw a kid give his new bike to another kid whose parents could never afford it. His dad encourage it, but it was the kid's idea and decision. Heck I was proud of the kid and I'm not even his dad. If it's God's will for me to ever get married and have kids I would say these would be the proudest moments of my life for them.