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Good morning
 As the father of boys aged 14, 11 and 4, I’ve learned to accept that lots of my life is made up of circumstances beyond my control.  But I’ve picked up some morsels of parenting wisdom over the years.
The further you are from a bathroom, the more desperately your child will need one. The more urgently you need to leave the house, the further apart his two shoes will be. And the more you advise a teenager to do something, the less appealing he’s going to find it. 
My sons are very different from each other. One has to be woken really gently, one enjoys being pulled out of bed – and the other simply arrives in our room and wakens us. There’s one who likes to be carried, one who likes all his stuff carried for him – and one who can carry me…. 
These differences bring variety to family life – and it would be absurd to have a favourite child.
But as they grow up, I’m beginning to accept that my role in their lives will change. There are decisions I can’t make for them  - and I sometimes wonder if I’ve taught them anything useful at all.
The writer of the book of Proverbs had similar concerns. He encourages his son to remember his fatherly wisdom, which covers all sorts of issues in life – management of money, work ethics, matters of the heart. But the essence of Proverbs is summed up in one often-quoted verse that says -  Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not depend on your own understanding. 
Good Father of all the living, we praise you for a Gospel which confounds the wisdom of the wise, giving eternal life to all who believe, regardless of character, personality, orientation, social class or personal history.
Thank you that your love, grace and wisdom are for everyone. 
Amen