1 Corinthians 13 for Parents

This is a portion of a post I came across on a Christian parenting site that has really stuck in my brain this week. Thought I'd share. It's by a woman named Stephanie who has seven children--the whole post was excellent and very challenging (and she freely gave permission to share any part of it on other sites).

Love:

suffers long; (am I being patient, or do I expect instant results from my kids?)

is kind; (is what I am doing to my child kind?)

does not envy; (who am I comparing my child to? "Why can't I have "good" kids like other parents?")

does not parade itself ; (who am I trying to impress with my child's behavior?)

does not get 'puffed up' ; (am I trying to make my child behave a certain way
because it makes me a "good parent"?)

does not behave rudely ; (would my attitude/behavior towards my child be considered rude if they did the same to me?)

is not easily provoked; (am I taking my child's behavior personally?)

does not think evilly, nor rejoice in sin; (does it make me feel better to punish my child because I am getting even with them?)

rejoices in the truth; (what positive things are true about my child, or am I only focusing on their temporary behavior?)

bears all things;
believes all things;
hopes all things;
endures all things.
Love never fails.