Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

  • Home
  • About
  • Books
    • Peace in the Process
    • Bringing Home More Than Groceries
  • Contact

{No More Perfect Kids} Parenting is risky business

March 14, 2014 by Kristin Leave a Comment

This week we’re hearing real-life stories from dads. Letting go of perfection is a message from which everyone in your family can benefit. “No More Perfect Kids” by Jill Savage and Kathy Koch has been a fabulous resource for me. You can buy it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Christian Book Distributors.

Let’s welcome my favorite dad. Yep, he’s my husband! Greg balances my perfection tendencies with this risk-taking, entrepreneur ways. 

________


Parenting is a risky business. There are no guarantees, no perfect way to do everything that will ensure your child has a meaningful relationship with God or has success in life or any of a million things that you want for your child.

My suggestion is to embrace risk in parenting, in life, and in your relationship with God. Our Creator isn’t interested in us living risk-free lives. He is about transforming us from the inside out and calling us to something greater than what this world has to offer. Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

In thinking about my life, the decisions that have brought me the most joy and satisfaction have been leaps of faith. Whether it has been the decision to adopt, start my own business, put our children in Christian school, or many other things, trusting in Him has proven to be the path to a fulfilling life.

Were things a little scary when I stepped out on my own or we decided to adopt (twice)? Of course they were. Have things been perfect for our little family since we stepped out in faith? Or course not. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Growing up, I saw my parents make some decisions that went against the grain of the conventional American culture. They were convicted that television was a bad influence and we did not have broadcast or cable television in our home. They were convicted that we needed to have home worship services, so we had home worship services instead of attending a normal church for several years. When I was in fifth grade, they made the decision to start sending me to a small Christian school about 45 minutes away.

All these decisions weren’t popular to me as a child, but I have seen the value of making bold decisions for God. I’m convinced that character and faith are mostly caught, not taught. As parents, if we want our children to have a meaningful relationship with God, they have to see us making sacrifices and hard decisions as we step out in faith in Him.

So next time you feel the Holy Spirit nudging you to take a risk, to be a little radical, to do something out of your comfort zone, take the opportunity to be obedient. While you may be uncomfortable and anxious about how everything will turn out, and things will surely get messy, submission to God is the only way to live the abundant life that we were all meant to live.

________

Greg Taylor is a self-employed attorney who is the oldest of three boys. He’s an elder at Christian Community Church, a member of the Murray City Council, and a lifelong Murray State Racer fan. Greg and Kristin have been married for 11 years and have two adopted kids — Cate is 6 and Ben is 4. 

Want more stories? Like me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, peek into my life on Instagram, follow 152 Insights at Bloglovin’, or subscribe to receive “Insights in Your Inbox.” 

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: family, Greg, guest post

Comments

  1. Beth says

    March 15, 2014 at 11:06 pm

    All kinds of wonderful to hear from Kristin's other half. By the way, Greg, I adore your wife!! 🙂 Great post and a good reminder that God isn't looking for us to live a risk-free life. I think of my family following His lead to become a military family…a great big risk…but oh how it has impacted us all and grown our faith in Him.
    Blessings to you both.
    I hope you are having a wonderful weekend.

    Reply
  2. Jenn says

    March 16, 2014 at 12:14 pm

    This is awesome to get the better halves input and a men's perspective!! Love what your hubby said about not conforming to the world, so many do and that isn't what we are called to be when we are followers of Jesus!!

    Reply
  3. KristinHillTaylor says

    March 17, 2014 at 1:25 am

    Thanks, Jenn! I've got some good dad posts coming up this week. They've been good for me to read, that's for sure!

    Reply
  4. KristinHillTaylor says

    March 17, 2014 at 1:26 am

    You're so kind, Beth! Becoming and living as a military family is a huge risk – one that blesses so many people. Your bravery in it has been encouraging to see, even from this Internet distance. Much love to you!

    Reply
  5. Wani says

    March 17, 2014 at 7:43 pm

    I love getting the dad's view of the book! Thanks!

    Reply
  6. KristinHillTaylor says

    March 17, 2014 at 9:33 pm

    He heard more of a summary of the book through me, but I'm so thankful he balances me, especially in this area! Thanks for coming by, Wani!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Let’s Connect

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Twitter

About Me

Telling stories is my therapy and I love sharing them with friends on my porch.

The main characters in my stories are my entrepreneur husband, our high school girl who never forgets, our middle school boy who has no fear, and our joy-filled first-grade girl. As we live out our stories, we seek God as the author of them all.

Learn more about my story here.

Subscribe for Updates

Recent Posts

  • How to host a party
  • All the places she’ll go
  • Cruising for Spring Break
  • How to take care of yourself
  • How to recreate favorite foods

Join the Conversation

Join the Conversation

On Instagram

🎶 All throughout my history / Your faithfulness 🎶 All throughout my history / Your faithfulness has walked beside me / The winter storms made way for spring / In every season, from where I'm standing / I see the evidence of Your goodness / All over my life … 🎶 @joshbaldwin in “Evidence”

I love summer. But my summer has started off busy: appointments, book edits deadline, establish new habits with the kids at home. All that’s necessary and good, it just cuts into my down time beside the pool. 

Today we have two open gyms for our basketball players, my book study with a few friends, a new weekly high school girls’ book study at our house, and a monthly dad-son character study. 

I long for a little more white space on the calendar, but I also wouldn’t change a thing because the kids are only 16, 13, and 7 once. This summer will only be this summer once. And I’ve already learned time flies with big kids. 

So here we are finding out footing, singing praises with church friends on our porch, grilling delicious chicken, and squeezing in the wide-open spaces when we can. This is evidence of the good stuff. 

#84daysofsummer #poolpeople #momlife #momconfessions #faithlife #livingfaithfully #favoritethings #choosingJOY #countryliving #reallife #PorchStories
The Hill family reunion at @shelterpointretreat ha The Hill family reunion at @shelterpointretreat has become a favorite tradition to kick off summer! The weather was perfect and everyone enjoyed one another. 

#familyreunion #lakelife #kentuckylake #kylake #getoutside #familytime #memorialday #memorialdayweekend #favoritethings #84daysofsummer #summerisbest #choosingJOY
Hello, #84daysofsummer! ☀️ #TeamTaylor #girl Hello, #84daysofsummer! ☀️ 

#TeamTaylor #girlmom #boymom #momlife #reallife #summerisbest #siblinglove #countryliving #poolpeople #getoutside
First of all, who else has read this book? The plo First of all, who else has read this book? The plot was promising as a thriller and the setting really worked. There were some good twists, and then there were ridiculous twists. I skimmed the end only because I wanted it to make sense. And it didn’t. It was too weird for me. 

But this made me wonder: how do we know if a book is going to be weird, contain elements we don’t like, or go places that don’t make sense? I don’t like to read much about a book before I read the book. Usually, I do a better job of picking books for myself. 

#KHTreads #bookstagram #booklover #donotrecommend #bookofthemonth @bookofthemonth
I needed this low-key weekend that was pleasant we I needed this low-key weekend that was pleasant weather, a mixture of productivity and rest, and had plenty of wide-open space to enjoy our property and each other. 

#weekending #TeamTaylor #poolpeople #countryliving #favoritethings #choosingJOY #maydays
And that’s a wrap on soccer season! I love watch And that’s a wrap on soccer season! I love watching them both play. 

#soccermom #weekending #springtime #momlife #girlmom #boymom
On Mothers Day, I wanted to sit by the pool with a On Mothers Day, I wanted to sit by the pool with a book, but I didn’t know what I wanted to read. Whenever I have indecision about books, picking up a thriller usually helps because of the story’s pace. 

“The Only Survivors” worked well because there was a lot happening! Lots of creepy, mysterious moments. Only so many people could be guilty of infiltrating a small group who had lots of secrets! 

I loved the timeline of this one. The back story about an accident was told in seven one-hour segments. The present mystery was told in seven days. 

#KHTreads #bookstagram #booklover #latergram #bookofthemonth @bookofthemonth #poolpeople #mothersday
Y’all we are very ready for summer. ☀️ And Y’all we are very ready for summer. ☀️ 

And when I say summer, I mean we are ready to shake up the routine, mentally regroup, turn off the alarms, establish some new habits, soak in the sun, and catch up with friends we’ve been crossing paths with too quickly. 

I want to savor the #84daysofsummer and I want to embrace this new season. And it’s almost time. Three more days of school. (Deep breaths.) 

Meanwhile, I’m going to keep collecting the moments — the hard, hurried, happy, and heartfelt. The seasons do change, but this is the life we are living. 

“The moments you collect may not be loud or flashy. They might be quiet or covered or a far-off view you were lucky to catch. But this I know to be true: A moment savored says to your soul, ‘You have lived something beautiful.’ And it keeps you buoyed. It sustains you when you’re running empty. It lifts you up and carries you forward.” — Joanna Gaines in @magnolia summer 2023 journal issue no. 27 

#momlife #reallife #momconfessions #livingfaithfully #summerisbest #teenagedriver #choosingJOY
I’ve read quite a few World War II novels, but t I’ve read quite a few World War II novels, but this one by Soraya M. Lane focused on three nurses, their friendships, and how the war changed their lives. It’s a hard story, but it’s full of love and hope despite the destruction around them. 

And it’s the second historical fiction audiobook I’ve listened to in a row! #KHTreads #bookstagram #booklover #audiobooks #Audible #KindleUnlimited #historicalfiction
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Favorites

Categories

Archives

Copyright © 2023 Kristin Hill Taylor | Design by Traci Michele | Development by MRM