What Kids Need From Their Parents - Day 2
As a reminder,
Kids need things. They need things from you as their parents. Some of them are obvious, some of them, maybe not so obvious. And at times it can feel overwhelming … THEY NEED SO MUCH! And at different stages of life, they need different things. A baby needs different things than a toddler. A toddler needs different things than an teenager. A teenager needs different things than my 18yo heading off to college. I know you get the point.
The good news is the bible gives us a lot of advice on the matter. Everything from spiritual to practical. So let's look at what the bible says …
Train them
Proverbs 22:6 says Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. I believe this is mainly referring to teaching them of the things of God. But I also believe it applies to other things as well.
The definition of train is: "teach a particular skill or type of behavior through practice and instruction over a period of time". Give them instruction and a way to practice that instruction over a period of time and when they are older, they will not depart from that.
Train them to be ladies and gentlemen. Train them to be compassionate. Train your boys to open doors and stand next to the traffic on the street for ladies, to treat authority figures with respect, to love their wife as Christ loves the church. Train your ladies to honor and respect authority, dress modestly, praise and not tear down other women. Teach all your kids to have a relationship with God, to pray regularly, to treat others above themselves.
Train them and when they are older, they will not depart from that training.
Be real
A big thing you can do for your kids to be authentic. They need to know you make mistakes too. You mess up? Ask for forgiveness. Share with them how you feel when times are tough. Use wisdom on what to share, but help them see you are authentic with your walk with God. Again, use wisdom … a toddler doesn't need to hear all the details as much as a teen may need to hear it. Telling a 3 year old your sad is just as authentic as telling your teen why you're sad.
Titus 2:7 - Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity,
Non-provoking love
Ephesians 6:4 - Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Let's be honest, this can be hard sometimes. We act out of frustration and deliberately make our kids angry. We may even feel as though our kids deserve our anger or frustration. But that won't change anything. That will make things worse. You know it, I know it. Instead they need a loving hand. Whether that's love in a hug, or love in discipline, don't provoke your children to anger. Instead, love them. Which leads to …
Compassion
They need to know you love them. That no matter what happens in life, you love them. I heard a father once say (when his kid was in trouble with the police), "You've never needed my love more than you do right now". Let's be that father. No matter what happens in life, they need to know you love them and that you are compassionate.
THERE IS LOTS MORE … SUBSCRIBE TO RECEIVE UPDATES ON THE REST OF WHAT KIDS NEED FROM THEIR PARENTS
