Introduction

It was 2am. I think. I don’t remember it very well. I was tired.

I had stumbled around in the dark trying to get water for my three-year-old daughter who had woken up thirsty. She figured, of course, that daddy was ready to be at her service. When I fi- nally brought her a cup, she was outraged. There was no ice in the water. There was supposed to be ice! And what happened next went down in history as one of the most epic tantrums the Durso household has ever seen.

I’m glad none of it was caught on film. It wasn’t exactly one of my shining moments as a father. I was bumbling, impatient, and stubborn (I didn’t want to get her the ice she was demand- ing!), and was probably guilty of matching her tantrum with one of my own. When it was all said and done (I think I finally caved and got her ice), I fell into bed exhausted. “What in the world just happened?” I wasn’t able to fall asleep right away. I was con- victed of my own failure to be gentle, patient, and kind in the moment. My lack of Christ-likeness was exposed. Again.

I feel like that moment all those years ago is a metaphor for parenting in general. It can feel like we’re in the dark. Perhaps we’re exhausted. We’re still dealing with our own sin. And in the midst of it, we’re trying to care for a precious (and depraved) child God has given to us.

Parents need help. I know I do. That’s why it’s tragic that we can be extremely closed up when it comes to discussing parent- ing. We can act like we’ve got it all together (and craft our social media feeds to feed that narrative). We can downplay the signifi- cant problems we’re having. Or we can say, “Well, that’s just how I was raised” and refuse to think more deeply about how God intends for us to parent.

The church must be a place to have these conversations. We parents need to be honest, get real, open up, be transparent. We must start talking about the massive responsibility we have. We must open our ears to hear from others who are in the midst of it, fighting to be faithful. We must bear their burdens and let them bear ours. And we must listen to those who have done it - and have the wisdom and perspective and scars to show for it. We don’t get redos with our kids.

Our hope is that this journal helps us open up and talk about the glorious and difficult job of parenting. It is written by our church, for our church. The articles you read are all written by church members. The contributors (and their articles) are not perfect, but they’re soldiers fighting the good fight of faith. And they’re eager to help. As you take a look at the table of contents and begin reading through it, I’d encourage you to start some dia- logue around these topics. Read it with a fellow church member. Reach out to the contributors. Ask them questions. Talk about your experience. Share your struggles. Ask for prayer. Open up.

There’s grace the whole way home, church. Let’s be faithful until we’re there.