Understanding Parents

In the Bible it talks plenty on parents, honoring them, obeying them, listening to them, loving them, the list goes on- but does it really get into specifics of how on earth to deal with them!?
Their rules, commandments, expectations, the endless chores and crap we have to do!?

If you Google right now "Bible verses on being a parent" you'd get Proverbs 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it."
And "Bible verses on how to be a child to our parents" it gives us verses like Ephesians 6:1 "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right."
Pretty simple stuff right? "honor and listen to each other cause it's right".. where's the good stuff? the "How do I deal with it when my mom makes me do the dishes & I don't want to, but I have to because she asked?"
yeah I wish there was a logical answer to that, or even a scriptural one but fact is God wants us to honor our father and mother because it is good to do so. It doesn't mean you're un-holy and degrading when you don't do the dishes one night, it just means you need to find other ways to honor them.

In dealing with their "endless, endless lists" we have to give them honor and we have to give them grace because they were put in the position to be our parents, to raise us to be who we're becoming. But when do we stop "becoming"? I like to think of it as they never really stop raising us, we just stop letting them.  Our parents will always be who we are, and will always be the ones who loved us more than anyone ever could.

I know with my family, dishes are a large war a lot of the time. Because it's an obvious thing everyone sees, we use it against each other a lot & it can cause a lot of tension. It's easier to say "just do it" than it is to actually do, but when you realize you're doing one thing in your day to help the ones who do everything for you, it makes more of a difference and it feels a lot better to do.

The way I was raised, the limitations I have now, the access to things I had when I had them are actually insane to realize a first time parent did & came up with.
I mean when you think about it, your parents have never been parents to you before, and look where you're at.
Success is in your heart and a heart is in a home, my home is my family and my family is who has made me who I am. Being a parent is probably a hard task, but when it's stops being a task and becomes your life & teaching them life it stops being a job, it's just who you are.

As for being a someone's child, we need to honor and respect them, because they have been through this stuff and it is important to know that you can learn from their mistakes and you're aloud to make your own; but they just want the best for you. 
My parents taught me to really go after what I want, love others as God loves me and live the right life for The Lord.
I have expectations to follow, but they don't expect me to be perfect and they love me even when I'm not.

As for if you're a parent (you broke the "no parents" rule, by the way)
Let your kids always be themselves, make mistakes because they can't learn from being perfect- they learn from being taught, not forced and they love by example not always by experience. 
When I become a mom, in many many years from now; I want to know by the time their 18 that I did the absolute best that I could and I'm proud of them, but I'm also proud of myself as a parent, as well as my husband.

Families have their issues, trials and experiences. I hate the quote "at the end of the day" but I have to use it, at the end of the day they're my family and they have been the ones to be my example and best friends my whole life. I'll never take them for granted. 

I want to thank my parents for inspiring this weeks entry/ rant, and putting up with me all my life and understanding me more than ever. Love you guys!