There’s a simple prayer I have carried with me for years: Lord, put people in my kids’ lives where I’m lacking. As a parent, that prayer has brought me so much peace. It reminds me that raising great kids was never meant to be a one-person job. We need supportive influences in our children’s lives, and our kids do too.

We Were Never Meant to Be Everything for Our Children

One of the heaviest burdens parents carry is the belief that we need to be everything our children need. We want to be the one who comforts, teaches, guides, protects, inspires, and understands every part of who they are. But the truth is, that is far too much for any one person.

I do not believe this is a weakness in parenting. I believe it is part of God’s design. Each of us brings different strengths, different gifts, and different wisdom to the lives of children. When we let trusted people love and influence our kids in healthy ways, we are not failing them. We are blessing them.

That prayer helps me remember that where I am limited, someone else may be strong. Where I feel unsure, someone else may bring…