What the World Needs Now

Is love sweet love! I love Burt Bacharach (not really but I thought I'd try and get that song stuck in your head).

Even though the world could always use more love, one of the things I am noticing is that world also needs more strong parents. I sit and listen to kids at urban and suburban schools and kids at church and hear the same thing over and over: my parents aren't strong enough.

Oh, they never say those words. But if you listen deep enough, you can hear the longing in their voices. If you look deep enough, you can see it in their body language and eyes. They are longing for strong parents to love deep, wide and strong enough to help them make sense of the crazy and confusing world that teenagers live in today.

What the world needs now is strong parents. Not controling parents. Not powerful parents. Definitely not weak or passive or permissive parents. I'm not totally sure that "strong" is the word that hits the nail on the head, but it's close. I'm in the ballpark just not sure I'm at the plate. But here are some initial thoughts (incomplete I know) about what I think it means to be a strong parent.

1. Strongs parents know who they are
2. Strong parents are humble and know they don't have all the answers thus open to growing and learning
3. Strong parents stand up for what is right.
4. Strong parents communicate.
5. Strong parents create gracious homes where it's ok to make mistakes and fail.
6. Strong parents demonstrate love at all times.
7. Strong parents live with the tension of freedom and boundaries.
8. Strong parents understand that more is caught that taught.
9. Strong parents live out honor and respect to the other parent whether married or not.
10. Strong parents are honest parents about self and with child.

What am I missing? What would you add to the conversation?