10/28/2026
From the desk of our Founder & CEO, Josh Waite:
There’s a reason it’s called ‘parenting’ and not ‘childing’.
Recently I heard Pat Lencioni make this comment on his At the Table podcast, and it caught my attention. For nearly 18 years, Nikki and I have been focused on raising our son, Ben, and for almost 16 years, our daughter, Ava. Like most parents, we have spent countless hours trying to teach them, guide them, encourage them, correct them, protect them, and prepare them for life.
Now, as Ben is in his senior year of high school, we couldn’t be prouder of the young man he has become – and I suppose we can take at least a little credit for that. 😉
But lately, I have been wondering…
Who has changed more over the last 18 years – Ben or us?
While we have been busy raising him, parenting has been busy raising us. Speaking for myself, parenting has not only taught me patience and sacrifice, but also that I don’t have nearly as much control over the outcome as I sometimes think I do.
It has taught me to listen, to apologize, to encourage, to worry less, to pray more, and perhaps hardest of all – to slowly loosen my grip.
There is a phrase I often use when talking about leadership: What makes leadership great is the person you have to become to be good at it.
And after listening to the podcast, I found myself thinking, “Maybe what makes parenting great is the person you have to become to be good at it.”
Our kids certainly grow up – but if we are doing it right, so do we as parents.
The sleepless nights, the difficult conversations, the mistakes, the victories, the heartbreaks, the car rides, the ballgames, the decisions we second-guess – all of these life opportunities are shaping them. AND – they are shaping us too.
And now, as Nikki and I approach a season where our role as parents is beginning to change, I am realizing that perhaps one of the final lessons of parenting is also one of the hardest: Letting go.
When our kids are young, our job is to hold their hand. Eventually, our job becomes trusting them enough to let go of it.
We can give advice. We can share our experiences. We can model our values. We can encourage them when they stumble and celebrate when they succeed. But we cannot write their story for them.
The Bible reminds us we were never supposed to. Psalm 127:3 clearly states that children are a gift from the Lord – which means Nikki and I aren’t owners.
We are stewards.
God entrusted Ben to us for a season. Our responsibility is to love him, guide him, prepare him, and point him toward God. And then we have to trust God with the rest.
While it makes logical sense, if I’m honest, that last part isn’t always easy. As a parent, I want to know how the story turns out. I want to protect our kids from pain. I want to make sure they make the right decisions, find the right people, choose the right path, and become everything they can become.
But God sees what I cannot. He knows Ben and Ava better than I do. He loves them even more than I do – and He knows the plans He has for them.
Perhaps that’s why parenting requires so much faith.
We spend years teaching our children to trust us, only to discover that one of the greatest lessons of parenting is learning to trust God with them.
So maybe the question isn’t only: Who are my children becoming?
Maybe we should also ask: Who am I becoming because God gave me the opportunity to be their parent?
Because there’s a reason it’s called parenting. The kids aren’t the only ones who are supposed to grow – we are.
intentional living call to action:
This week, take a few minutes to reflect on the ways parenting has changed you. What has your child taught you? Where have you grown? And where might God be asking you to loosen your grip and trust Him a little more? Don’t just be intentional about the person you’re raising.
Be intentional about the person you’re becoming.
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Live Life Intentionally
Josh
