Karla Charboneau
Well I promised that my next article would be about my mentor. The fact of the matter is that I have several mentors. Let me tell you about them and why I choose them to follow.
3 Wonderful Mentors
The first mentor I had was a woman that I went to church with, her name was Betty. At the time I was a very young wife and mother, about 18 years old. Betty taught a class that I went to and she just seemed like the perfect person to follow. With patience and understanding she taught me so many things that I didn’t know, things like why writing thank you notes was important, what looking people in the eyes meant, how a mom could be soft spoken and still get the attention and respect of her children. Every time I went to Betty’s house I always heard her greet people with, “please, come into my house.” Everyone that found themselves in her home felt welcomed and wanted.
The next mentor I want to tell you about is my husband John. This is rather hard for me to write because shamefully I have complained about him many times. But I must give him credit for some of the wonderful things he has modeled for me. This man has a sense of forgiveness like none I have ever seen. He has an ability to think the best of others and to be hopeful in all circumstances that just blows me away at times.
There is a woman that is in my life right now that is a great mentor to me, I’m not sure that she knows that I see her that way but she is someone that I look to. Her name is Kim and she happens to be my boss. I see in her the grace that anyone I know longs to have in their lives. She sees my mistakes in light of her own imperfections. She filters people’s failure through the incredible love and patience that she has received. She sees me for what I am and values me anyway.
A Perfect Mentor
That leads me to my most perfect mentor, He has many names but I just call Him Father God or sometimes Papa. He has all the qualities the people I have previously mentioned have and so many more. He teaches me what love is, how to get it and how to give it. I learn from Him how to have patience for others and how to make others a priority without loosing myself.
He shows me just how much joy I bring Him and in return I feel that joy to share with others. His great forgiveness for me demonstrates his kindness and gentleness that I simply don’t deserve, and how can I have less for people in my life. It maybe hard to believe, (not) but there are moments that I just turn my back on people but not my Papa, He is always faithful and true to me beyond my wildest imagination.
How on earth does this relate to being a good parent????? Well the fact of the matter is….You can’t give away what you don’t have. Hmmm. Where have I heard that before? Anyway the first step to being a good parent is to find yourself a good mentor and pattern your life after that person. My best advise is when you look to people don’t expect them to be perfect, because you will be disappointed. Accept the best from them and leave the rest behind giving them grace for their shortcomings. But always look to the perfect one for the best mentor.
My Best Interest
I have to ask myself why I choose these people to follow. I think basically it is for one reason. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they all had my best interest in mind. I never had to question or doubt their motives when it comes to me. Wouldn’t it be great if every child every where could say that of their parents. Maybe there would be less abuse, maybe there would be less rebellion, maybe there would be less hatred and violence, maybe we would be the peaceful people that we were intended to be.
Read more articles from Karla Charboneau: A Good Place to Start as a Parent
