One of the things my wife and I personally experienced in our parenting journey is that there are not only different parenting stages and phases we go through, but there are parenting seasons we encounter as well.
Just like nature cycles through different seasons again and again, so does our parenting.
To use the metaphor of the natural seasons we experience throughout the calendar year, let me share four seasons you will encounter throughout your parenting journey.
SUMMER SEASON
There is nothing like the good vibes of summer: vacations, camps, movie nights, and fun times at the pool, beach or lake. For the most part, this is a season when life and our kids seem to be doing great. It’s a season to store wonderful memories and put deposits into our relational and emotional bank accounts. Sadly, summertime goes quickly, and we only get 18 summers with our kids before they leave the house as adults. The summer season of parenting is also a great time to invest in your future by investing in yourself. It’s a time to be proactive instead of reactive on growing in your parenting skills and marriage. Making those investments in yourself, your marriage, and your kids will pay back a good return in the future when you need it the most during the storms of life and the cold, dark winter seasons.
FALL SEASON
Fall is a season of change. Change forces us to adjust to new friends, new cities, new schools, new jobs or starting a new family. Changes in life are inevitable and can be unpredictable. However, our ability to stay strong in our marriage and family will succeed or fail due to our ability to handle change. Even good changes can place additional stress on our lives. Change can make us mad or mature, bitter or better. It’s all a matter of perspective. Learn to embrace the changes that come into our lives during the fall season of parenting.
WINTER SEASON
Winters can be the hardest and darkest seasons of our parenting journey. This is usually the season of loss, pain, disappointment, setbacks, rebellion, betrayal, illness, caring for an elderly parent, etc. Winter seasons can leave you with a broken heart. Sadly, like the fall season of change, it’s not a matter of “if,” it’s a matter of “when” we will encounter the difficulties and trials of life. Over the past 32 years, we have experienced almost everything imaginable. However, we have learned that troubles don’t come to stay; they come to pass.
SPRING SEASON
The parenting season of spring brings new beginnings and is the busiest season of all. There are endless plates spinning all at once. Work travel, keeping up with a growing business, kids in multiple schools, travel ball, competitions, recitals, etc. For most parents, the spring season never stops. If you’re married, don’t fall for the myth of “when and then” thinking. “When” things slow down, “then” we will have time to focus on our marriage or other vital areas in our life. There is no such thing as the “perfect season.” As busy and chaotic as the spring season of parenting can be, it’s crucial to remind yourselves that the busyness of this season can cause couples to drift further apart rather than closer together if you don’t prioritize your marriage.
The reality is throughout different stages and phases of parenting, there will be times when you are going through all four seasons at once. Let me encourage you with these words as a parent. You are doing better than you think, and you matter more than you think you do to your kids. Remember, life is short, live intentionally. Life is long, stay encouraged.
Rodney Gage is a family mentor, author, speaker, and the founding pastor of ReThink Life Church, which meets at Lake Nona High School. His passion is to help families win at home and in life. To learn more about his family mentoring or how you can get a copy of his new book called Why Your Kids Do What They Do, go to www.thewinningfamily.com or ReThinkLife.com.
