Questionable Parenting

 “Consistency is key” I’ve heard this more times than I can count especially when it comes to Christian parents punishing their children. Consistency in discipline is often touted as the “secret” to successful parenting.  Step 1. Create a rule. Step 2. Tell your child that if they break the rule they will be punished. Step 3. Punish your child every time they break the rule. No exceptions. This little formula is the key to successful parenting. Kids need boundaries and they will become confused and spoiled without absolute consistency. Punish a child consistently enough (ie 100% of the time) and they’ll learn to follow not only you, but God. Right? There’s a lot to unpack here.  First of all, what if I told you that this formula is actually not in the Bible? 🤯 This is such “common sense” and so ingrained into Christian parenting philosophy that it’s hard to imagine how not following this formula could have any benefit. Most parents have been told that failure to follow t...

Welcome to my new blog Questionable Parenting!  Im using this blog to bring up questions and challenge assumptions that arise in my own parenting circles, a lot of which is related to Christianity and/or the parenting practices and beliefs that often “pass” as Christian.  I’m a young mom and definitely don’t have the answers, (and I’m sure many would find my parenting method and stories “questionable”) but I hope that by bringing up the questions that some have been unable or unwilling to ask, we as parents will become less naive around the biases that shape our behavior and more discerning and loving to the tiny humans in our care.  If you decide to engage with this blog, please feel free to challenge my perspective. We all do better when asked good questions.   So let’s get to the questions!