Because families are more than wives.
What are y'alls tips, tricks, and findings for parenting? Especially interesting are those things that are counter-cultural, or that go against what is regularly promoted in "normie-church."
I'm not a parent, but I'd like a place to go to to be prepped for that eventuality.
You will not be alone. God will be with you to give you insight and wisdom if you seek Him about these things. You get out what you put in, but they are not yours to keep. Your life, including your parenting of His children, is a service to God, but He has built in blessings for you if you obey. The wheat must die so the seed can live. Don't hold them back or shield them from sensitive things. Let them see death and birth without showing fear. Be truthful with them in everything. They will hide from you what they see you hiding from them. Babies can learn the meaning of the word "no" as early as 6 months, and it is not abuse to thump them to teach them the word. Punishment should be given in love, not anger; give yourself a time-out and pray if you feel enraged. Don't be afraid to give them pain now to save them from death later. Explain beforehand and comfort them afterward and give them the correct alternative. Don't just say, "no", but also say, "do this instead", because "no" is a void, and a void will be filled, so fill it with good. Beyond physical things, continually teach them about God, the purpose of their existence, and His salvation. They may understand these things rudimentarily as young as 3 or 4, but their capacity for understanding will increase as they age, so repeat teachings in more detail as time goes by. Do not neglect this.
My older sons are given small amounts of authority, and they practice leadership with their younger siblings. My older daughters likewise practice mothering their younger siblings. When the maturity is even, my daughters are required to submit to their brothers if there is a disagreement, and I hold my sons responsible to follow my ways, meaning that they are punished, not the daughters, if they mislead them into disobedience to me. My sons know that they must prepare to leave me and master their own dominions. My daughters know that they belong to me until I give them to another man, who they are in preparation for without him being known yet. All of this is explained and reiterated to them in greater detail as they age. No one is held back; everyone is pushed to excel and grow. Responsibility is regularly used for teaching, and failure is allowed to happen so that lesson can be taught as well. They all know that they are working together, not for themselves, but for the family. One interesting outcome of all of this is that my sons now are so driven and have a sense of responsibility that they sometimes call me out for being lacking. And this illustrates how you get out what you put in. They are totally moldable only for a little while, so mold with urgency. That window will draw to a close in close coincidence with puberty and they will be more or less set in whatever shape you made them. Reshaping beyond that is either slight, slow, or requires breaking.
