PREPARE YOUR CHILD FOR THE REAL WORLD
DISCIPLINE WISELY.
Discipline in love:
Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Galatians 6:1 (KJV)
USUALLY USE SHORT-TERM PUNISHMENT.
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Ephesians 6:4 (ESV)
Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged. Colossians 3:21 (KJV)
TEACH, DO NOT SIMPLY PUNISH.
Provide a slowly-loosening structure.
Allow your children to make choices.
And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you[a] shall surely die.” Genesis 2:16-17 (NKJV)
• Luke 15:11-32).
TEACH RESPONSIBILITY.
HAVE YOUR CHILDREN DO CHORES
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden;
17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” Genesis 2:15 (NIV)
- Instead of nagging, set deadlines together with your children, then when the time comes, give consequences (positive or negative).
• Allow older children to help choose chores
PREPARE YOUR CHILDREN TO DEAL WITH AN UNGODLY CULTURE.
AS YOUR CHILDREN GROW OLDER, EXPOSE THEM TO THE REAL WORLD.
Provide opportunities for your children to learn how to interact with people outside of your church family.
Do not be foolish, but do not be overprotective. Read 1 Samuel 16:11; 17:17-20, 33-36.
1Samuel 16:11(KJV):
11 And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither.
1 Samuel 17:17-20 (NIV):
17 Now Jesse said to his son David, “Take this ephah[a] of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp. 18 Take along these ten cheeses to the commander of their unit. See how your brothers are and bring back some assurance[b] from them. 19 They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines.”
20 Early in the morning David left the flock in the care of a shepherd, loaded up and set out, as Jesse had directed. He reached the camp as the army was going out to its battle positions, shouting the war cry.
1Samuel 17:33-36 (NIV):
33 Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.”
34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God.
Help interpret the real world to your children.
• Warn about coming challenges
• Discuss current events.
• Show sorrow, not disgust, for sinners.
Take your children with you to volunteer activities.
Teach your children to be ambassadors for Christ.
Note that we either influence others or are influenced by others
_Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.
2Corinthians 5:20(KJV)_
20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. Ephesians 6:20(NIV)
As long as there is contact one must impact another, prepare your children to be influencers.
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