Let's Parent On Purpose

Warning: the next 600 words might have severe impact on your parenting and relationships. This is the week kids dread and parents dream about all summer-at least in my house.  The first day of school has arrived. Moms and dads (OK, mostly just moms) across the country are scouring the school supply list to see all the items that need to fit into each little tyke’s backpack. It’s fun to watch children shop for backpacks, find that special one, and then fill it with all of the treasures necessary for daily survival. Backpacks are also one of the most helpful illustrations for healthy relationships I’ve ever encountered. In my early twenties I came across the book  Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud.  Boundaries is based off of the scriptural teachings of Galatians 6.  Essentially there are 2 important statements that initially seem contradictory in Galatians 6.  In Galatians 6:2, we are commanded to “Bear one another’s burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ.”  Two verses later, Galatians 6:4 ends by saying “for