Golf is one of the most fun games. After playing it long enough, you’ll realize it’s so beloved because it has many similarities to everyday life. 

As a parent, golf had always been a hiatus from the hectic world of raising two kids. However, after some time, I began to see that there were some parenting lessons to be had. Here is what golf taught me.

1) One Shot at a Time

From the tee box, through the fairways, and into the greens, golf is all about taking one shot at a time until you reach each hole. Parenting is kind of the same. From the time your child is born, you can only take it one step at a time, making decisions that will lead your kids through various stages in their life. 
Through their first walk, elementary school, puberty, high school, and college—all these are stages your kids will have to go through. However, you can only go through it one step at a time. 

Be patient and focus on taking your child through each step, there is beauty in each stage, and you might miss it worrying about the future. Just like in golf you can’t think about hole nine and expect to do a good job on the first hole.

2) There Will Be Moments Out of Your Control

One of my favorite golfer quotes is by Bobby Jones, "Golf is the closest game to the game we call life. You get bad breaks from good shots; You get good breaks from bad shots, but you have to play the ball where the ball lies."

As a parent, there can be occasions when things are not in your control despite your best efforts. This may be especially true when your kids hit puberty. 

Life has its fair share of bad areas where we might not have control. Don't quit the game because a good shot suddenly landed in a bunker. The key is to learn to accept the unpredictability and focus on helping your child out of the 'bunker.' If you keep playing, eventually, you will get your kids back on course.

3) You Can Always Make Improvements

The beauty of golf is that there is always room for improvement, whether it's perfecting your swing or organizing your golf bag. Whether it be bad posture or poor striking technique, you can always make changes to get better. No matter what stage of playing or how long you have stuck with a bad habit. 

Likewise, as a parent, you learn a lot over the years as your kids grow up. Sometimes you might have to adjust your parenting style to suit a particular child. 

Even if you went out and bought the best golf bag for women that doesn’t mean you’ll have all the right clubs, the same as you may not always have the right tools for the job of raising your kids, yet. You can always pick up tips from other parents, parenting books, or experience. Understand that, like many areas in life, a good portion of parenting is a learning experience. 

4) Review Your Performance

You can't make improvements if you don't know what you are doing wrong. Likewise, how do you maintain good habits if you don't know them?  

It can be quite easy to get lost in the first-paced world of having to raise your kids. Between changing diapers, buying diapers, and having to dispose of diapers, you can find yourself lost in a cycle of diapers/events. 

It's always good to take a step back and ask yourself, "Are the diapers I'm buying good for my baby?" or "Is my diaper changing technique good?"

At the end of the week, I always look through the decisions I have made concerning my kids and look for ways I could improve. This has made me stay on track with my course, maintain good habits, and change bad ones.

5) Consider Your Child’s Views

At a certain point in time, your kid will be able to think and make decisions independently. While the final say might still lie with you, it's always important to remember that they have a certain perspective of life too, and sometimes they may have good views. Kind of like playing with a caddie by your side. 

Always listen! Kids, like caddies, deserve to be heard. They may be wrong ever so often, but once in a while, if you just hear them out, you might agree with them and realize you were wrong.

6) All Is Well When You Love the Game

Through the good breaks and the bad ones, the foundations of the world's greatest golfers are always built on bricks of love. That's what keeps them going, love for the game. While parenting, there will be times when despite our best efforts things might just be so difficult. During these moments, the only weapon we will have is our love for our kids and parenthood. 

More Lessons to Be Learned

Hopefully, you’ve learned a little about how you can find life lessons in golf. Feel free to apply this concept to other areas of your life too. After all, life is about learning and growth. We should all be looking for as many opportunities as we can. To learn more about golfing please visit sites like GolfSpan.

Disclosure: This is a collaborative post.