Musings on Parenting

This list is not exhaustive by any means. These are few things I have gleaned from many well seasoned parents over the years, and some I learned by mistakes I made. Hope you find it helpful.

1) Consistency is the key: Between the ages of 18 months to 5 years old the rod will be most your effective and most frequently used tool in parenting.
2) Teach your children early to joyfully submit to your authority. This will alleviate some headaches in the future.
3) Teach your children to be thankful for discipline. Amy Carmichael taught me this.
4) Remember consistent discipline will be the tool that will help you peer into the window of your child’s heart. See my “Parenting Philosophy” http://fbcfamilyforum.blogspot.com/2008/03/what-is-your-parenting-philosophy.html
5) Be an affectionate family. Give each other hugs often and shower one another with three simple words, “I love you”.
6) Teach your children to affectionately love one another not just to tolerate one another.
7) Limit the extra-curricular activities (sports, ballet, drama, chess club…) of your children if it is going to consistently interfere with evening time family devotions.
8) Teach your children to sit through family devotions early (I suggest by 18 months they should be able to sit on your lap as you read a book for 10-15 minutes). Work your way up to 30 minutes then an hour.
9) Miscellaneous practical reasons why you should teach your young children to sit for long periods:
a. DMV
b. Dr Visits
c. Driving long distances
d. Holiday travel
e. To include them in adult dinner time conversation
f. Safety reasons (ie “sit right here and watch daddy mow the lawn”)
g. Etc...
10) Use your Saturday nights to prepare your family for Sunday, especially when you will be celebrating communion on Sunday.
11) The end goal for your children is that they have a thriving love for Jesus and not the avoidance all things that are “bad”.
12) Schedule your family devotions into your evening routine. It won’t just happen.
13) Admit to your children when you have sinned against them, and ask for their forgiveness.
14) Work hard at being united in your parenting. Your children want to see you on the same page. Let them know often that when they disobey mom they disobey dad. When they are disrespectful to their mom they are disrespectful to their dad.
15) Make it a regular habit to ask for your children’s forgiveness when you sin against them. In other words, keep short accounts with them. Don’t allow your sin against them to go unconfessed for any length of time.
16) Involve them in your home projects, chores, etc… soon as they are able.
17) Allow them to be your “helper” when fixing things around the house.
18) Parenting skills are the tools you use to point your children to Jesus. They are not the end in and of themselves.
19) The goal of parenting is not moral children but rather children who love Jesus.