Character Training – Page 106 – Parenting Like Hannah

Being the Message for Your Kids

Being the Message for Your Kids - Parenting Like Hannah Sometimes Christianity can be confusing. There are so many churches, looking at the Bible in so many ways. Frankly, some seem so far removed from what God teaches, it is hard to imagine they consider themselves Christian. Yet, as Christian parents, we not only have to figure out how to teach everything in the Bible to our children, but help them learn how to actually live what they read.

Recently, I was given the chance to review the new book Be the Message: Taking Your Faith Beyond Words to a Life of Action by Kerry and Chris Shook. Throughout, the authors attempt to help readers understand what living God’s Words – being the message in their terms, looks like on a day to day basis.

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Fun Way to Teach Kids Creative Recycling

Fun Ways to Teach Kids Creative Recycling - Parenting Like Hannah Chances are you grew up hearing stories from some older relative who made mud pies or dolls from sticks because they were poor. The Great Depression and World War II taught many of our grandparents and great-grandparents how to make something out of nothing. The relative prosperity in our lifetimes has eroded the skill set our ancestors had developed.

In my last post, I talked about the need for teaching our children to be good stewards of God’s world. One easy way to do that is to reduce the amount of things thrown into garbage dumps. There is a fun project you can do that will not only teach your children how to actively think about good stewardship but also give your kids some practice being creative and clean your house at the same time!

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Teaching Kids to Be Stewards of God’s World

Teaching Kids to Be Stewards of God's World - Parenting Like Hannah The unfortunate thing about the current “green” movement is they have radicalized it politically to the point many Christians reject anything to do with taking care of the world God gave us. Yet, God commands us to be good stewards. Although he doesn’t give us a list of the precise things he expects us to steward, I think it is safe to assume He expects us to care for any gifts He has given us. In my book, His creation is one of those gifts.

So how can a Christian parent teach good stewardship without wandering into the New Age idea of the earth being some sort of goddess (Mother Earth) or the almost earth worship promoted by many “green” groups and people? Should we walk away from the movement entirely in protest, throwing our trash by the side of the road to emphasize how wrong they are about God and creation? I honestly believe there are ways to teach conservation and good stewardship of God’s creation and still keep our children firmly connected to God.

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Teaching Kids Humility

Teaching Kids Humility - Parenting Like Hannah A couple of decades ago “experts” decided the problems in society were caused because children had poor self-esteem. If you have read a magazine or newspaper in the last decade, you are aware of all of the backlash issues self-esteem education has created for our kids and our society. Now, experts wrestle with how to right the unfortunate shift they have created in child rearing practices. As usual, the Bible often has the answers society struggles to find.

Looking through scriptures, it’s impossible to find any mention of working on your self-esteem or building up yourself. Instead, there are numerous commands for us to be humble, put others before ourselves and serve God and others with humility. Yet, even Christian parents have gotten caught up in making sure their children have “healthy” self-esteem (I’m still not quite sure what that is) and don’t give a thought about teaching their children how to be humble.

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The Myth of the Compliant Child

When my daughter was an infant, I was talking with a very wise older mother. As I shared our plan to establish firm, consistent limits, she had a warning for me. “Don’t be surprised,” she said “when your child is obedient, everyone will tell you that you are so lucky to have given birth to a child who is so compliant.”

Boy, was she ever right! Our daughter is blessed with double stubborn genes. Everyone on both sides of her family could easily hold their breath until they turn blue. Yet, to this day (she’s 17 years old and in college now) I still have people commenting how lucky I was for God to have given me such a compliant, “easy” child.

If you are a young parent, I want to share something very important with you. No healthy child is “born” compliant. Yes, some may have naturally sweeter dispositions than others, but every child I have ever met (with the exception a very ill child) has a nice healthy stubborn/selfish streak.

I understand some children have developmental and health issues that make it more difficult for them to obey. I have a friend who has two children who are about as AD/HD as a child can possibly be. As young children, they really struggled with obedience – partially because it required them to pay attention to instructions and tasks – something that was almost impossible for them.

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