Pray Intentionally – My Tween Parenting Strategy

Hi!  I’m Tiffany but you can call me Mommo -like my family does.

Would you mind taking a stroll down memory lane with me?  Do you remember – as a child – they way adults would ask “What do you want to be when you grew up”?

I wanted to be a mom and a teacher.  I remember spending hours everyday playing house with my friends.  It’s funny when I look back because we only ever imagined babies.  Cute little chubby faces, sweet coos, helpless little things we could dote over and coddle and love on.

Do you ever wonder why?

What stopped us from imaging those precious little bundles of joy growing up?  We never daydreamed about slamming doors, angry voices yelling“I hate you” or “You’re ruining my life” as those little darlings entered the Tween years.

I can say I never did.

It never crossed my mind that one day a switch would flip and this precious child would resent everything I say and spend every waking hour reaching for independence.

Yet here I am at the beginning of that season -Tween Parenting -and struggling in it.

God is continually reminding me that these children are not mine.  They are God’s children on loan to B and me. God is allowing us to be stewards of His children.  We are to raise them well then release them back to Him to be used for His purposes.

God has a plan for their precious lives. God loves them far more than we ever could.

Our journey to parenthood was full of twists & turns… loss and pain.  When the doctors finally diagnosed the cause of our miscarriages I remember hope blooming inside of me. We were actually going to have children.  It came coupled with an overwhelming sense of inadequacy.

I knew nothing about parenting!  I am thankful I am the daughter of a Good Father!

From that moment on I have had a passion to pray.  I cannot raise these children on my own.  But, God promised to help me and give wisdom when I ask… so I ask – intentionally!

My advice: Be Intentional about Prayer.

God already sees who these sweet Tweens will grow into.  He already has a plan for their lives.

He also has a plan for us – the Parents of Tweens – who are discouraged and struggling.

So why not take our hopes, dreams, needs and struggles to Him?

That sounds so cliché.  How do we actually do it?

I am a list maker.  I know that does not appeal to everyone, but my life is too busy and I don’t want to forget to pray over this vital part of my life.

My strategy:

Schedule prayer time.

• I literally set a reminder in my phone to pray
  • I use The Power of a Praying Parent by Stormie Omartian.  This book is an amazing parenting resource.  It contains 30 simple prayers (I need simple in my life ;-) )
  • I just copy them into my phone’s reminders.
  • I schedule it to repeat monthly on that day and time.

Sounds mechanical I know, but how often do we look at our phone every day?

It only takes 2-3 minutes to read through the prayer and people around me just think I am checking Facebook.

Consequently, it is so easy and convenient and has taken away all the excuses that kept me from the Spiritual Discipline of praying for my children…  Plus I love when technology can be used to glorify God!

Pray Scripture

I am a big fan of praying scripture because I can be sure that “if it’s in God’s Word, it’s in God’s Will”. (Check out Battle Plan for Prayer by Alex Kendrick and Stephen Kendrick -and amazing resource to learn how to pray effectively!)

• As a heart issue comes up that is not covered in the Stormie Omartian book, I search Google to find verses that apply (dorky I know – but I Google everything).
• I write the verses on note cards and post around the house.
•  When I was in the workforce I would tape them on my desk, keep them in my car, in my purse anywhere I spent a lot of time.
•  That way I don’t have to feel guilty that I can’t memorize the verse, I can just read it as a prayer.
• As I read them, I change the nouns to fill in the name I am praying over

Seems like a hands-off approach, but it works because God cares for us… and all those things that cause us anxiety.

I believe in the power of prayer.  It can change everything in the way you approach your Tween Parenting and in the way your Tween responds!

I pray this was helpful.

In HIM,

Tiffany

Did you miss the other days of the Tween Parenting Blog Party? Check them out here!

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