The modern parent is drowning in information. There’s a book for every stage of child development, an “expert” for every problem, and a dozen competing theories on how to raise a child who is happy, resilient, confident, or [insert buzzword here]. The underlying message is clear: You can’t possibly figure this out without them.
I’ve had to unlearn that.
The truth is, God entrusted these children to me. Not to an expert panel, not to a bestselling author, not to a stack of peer-reviewed studies. My responsibility is to steward their lives with the faculties He gave me: prayer, discernment, reason, and the intuition that grows through relationship and experience.
That doesn’t mean I ignore research or never crack open a book. But I don’t outsource my decision-making to them. I integrate what’s useful, sift it against Scripture, weigh it against inherited wisdom, and most importantly, hold it up against what I actually see in front of me.
A book can’t know the temperament of my child. It can’t see the look in his eyes when he’s overwhelmed. It can’t sense when my daughter’s testing boundaries because she needs firmer structure, not more “gentle dialogue.” That is the work of presence, not theory.
Inherited wisdom is my starting point. The mothers and fathers before me raised families without shelves of manuals, and much of what they knew has stood the test of generations. My mother-in-law always says: there is nothing new under the sun.
Isn’t that the truth?
Scripture orders my priorities, reminding me that my children are not projects to optimize, but eternal souls to guide. And intuition ties it all together—formed not by self-help hacks, but by daily life lived attentively and prayerfully.
So no, I don’t outsource my intuition. I trust it. Because it’s not just me. It’s me, refined by tradition, sharpened by reason, grounded in Scripture, and led by the Spirit.
That is enough. Always has been always will be.
B🤍
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