“These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.
Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates.”
Deuteronomy 6:6-8
Help Wanted: How to Parent Wisely!
Years ago I was visiting with my cousin and sharing how studying the Bible and being involved in my church had impacted our whole family in their priorities and life choices. My cousin responded by saying, “I don’t believe in forcing my beliefs on my children and I don’t want to make them go to church or force them to read the Bible. I want them to have the freedom to decide what they want to believe.”
I remember simply responding, “Your parenting philosophy allows others to shape your children’s character and beliefs.”
What is your parenting philosophy? Do you leave the teaching of standards and morality to the school, your children’s peers, and the culture, or do you take God’s Word seriously and “train up your child in the way he should go” based on the Bible?
What does that “training” look like?
- Do you read the Bible together as a family? (Kids know what their parents value.)
- Do you pray together as a family? (Parents who teach the power of prayer will have praying children.)
- Do you and your husband obey God’s Word in your every day decisions and responses? (Children know if you walk the talk.)
- Do you provide a safe and loving atmosphere in your home? (Children grow and develop their God-given talents in homes where they feel accepted and loved unconditionally.)
- Is church participation and Christian service an important part of your family activities? (Children model the priorities and behavior of parents they love and respect.)
- Do you make time to talk with your children so you can share your heart and your standards and get to know theirs? (Most parents spend only minutes a day in meaningful conversation with their children.)
Home is the place when children learn the valuable things in life. It’s the place where life attitudes, memories, beliefs and character are formed. Make sure that your “Parenting Philosophy” lines up with God’s and He will help you create a home where children love and respect their parents and desire to honor and serve God.
Thank you for this post. As a mom of 4, we are constantly in a learning environment when it comes to parenting. Right now we are battling our oldest and the "teen" years with all the peer pressure. One of the things I see is that we need to teach our children to know their beliefs to be able to stand firm when facing these challenges. These tips help parents battle the outside influence. Thank you
Thank you, Suzi for this reminder. I read it before my littles were up this morning and it refreshed my heart to keep training according to God's standard.