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There are all kinds of labels to talk about parenting styles.

There are helicopter parents, and free-range parents, and tiger parents, and just the other day I heard

about lawnmower parents. I'm John Fuller along

with Danny Werta, head of our parenting department here at Focus and Danny for

our listeners obviously they're tuning in because this is an important topic to them.

Do you know what the lawnmower thing is all about? I think it had to do with just you know cutting

cutting yeah just cutting things so short that kids can't grow I think

that's what the implication was you're you're clearing obstacles so that it's easier

for them to get through life you know it's like going to the college and negotiating for

this is the college scandal thing right that's that's kind of like lawnmower

parenting to the extreme right you're clearing the way if you can picture the

lawnmowers and you're the you're holding the way. If you can picture the lawnmowers and you're holding the lawnmower, your child's behind you, and you're just clearing out any obstacles or things that could get in the way. And obviously that's damaging. There's a quote I ran across and said this, the meaning of earthly existence is not

as we have grown used to thinking in prosperity, but in the development of the soul.

And that may mean that we face adversity, right John?

And sometimes as parents are trying to clear things out with good intentions because we want

our kids to be successful and we want them to prosper and that's the goal.

But really God says, hey, there's a bigger goal and that is to love your God with all your heart,

soul and mind.

And sometimes that requires that we face obstacles

so that we are in full dependence on God

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