Parenting from the middle is no place to parent.

I notice runners stay in the middle of the road as they weave in and out of our neighborhood.

The middle is not exactly a safe place. Leaving your children to run down the center of the street is unsafe.

It is a perfect place for a flat surface for the runner, but not for a child.

Choosing to stand back when our children are young and let them figure it out on their own is a recipe for a child without self-control. They will run down the middle not knowing boundaries.

I love to walk on the sidewalk canopied by trees.   Depending on what time I hit the pavement, I’m fully shaded as long as I take the protected side of the street under the lush boundary of the leafy trees keeping me cool as I stroll.

Walking my dog down the middle of the road would be a bad habit  in the unfortunate instance she takes off and tours the neighborhood without me. Disciplining our pets to walk on the sidewalk shows them love even if they can’t understand it.

The middle leaves you open and when it comes to parenting it gives your children confusion.

Barbara Tompkins of the Moms Class in Tucson, Arizona teaches us to ITC.

Instruct, Train and Correct.

Barbara is a teacher, seminar leader, and inspirational speaker. She holds a B.A. in English and Elementary Education and an M.A. in Education. Barbara has taught the Moms Class every Tuesday morning during the school year for over thirty years.

Privileged to attend her class in Arizona, and I’m still studying under her leading the Moms Class in Texas with my friend Rebecca Price.

We are so grateful she is sharing her materials and her wisdom, experience and encouragement to our Texas Moms.

Barbara instructs us all tirelessly holding her Bible, encouraging us all with love.

Discipline to follow through even when exhausted shows our children love.

Instructions, guidance and training and correcting  gives our children freedom in the boundaries we’ve set and coached them on.

Confident choices made with boundaries we’ve set.

Today we started another Mom’s Class at Hope Bible Fellowship and the Spring Semester will focus on giving our children love through setting boundaries, giving instruction and training.

Teaching our children, discipline is love.

Discipline is love.

The Lord bless you and protect you;

the Lord make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you;

and give you peace.  Numbers 6:24-26