Want to help your child have a better dating life? Want to stack the deck so your kids are more likely to want to date godly young men and women? Want to make sure your kids know when the person they are dating is going to make a great Christian spouse? There are no guarantees, but there is one fun thing you and your spouse can do to give your kids a great start on dating, love and marriage.
What is it? From the time your kids can talk, each child should have regular “dates” with the opposite sex parent. Although obviously the dynamic is very different than a “real” date, make sure you do something you both enjoy. Use the time together to demonstrate how to be considerate and thoughtful on a date. As your children get older, start talking about the type of person who makes a great date, a great boyfriend or girlfriend and eventually a great spouse.
Continue reading A Great Way to Help Your Child Learn About Love
When you read through secular research on young people and decision making, one thing is mentioned repeatedly. Young people have a tough time making consistently good choices. The causes behind it are many and vary some from child to child. What is problematic for Christian parents is that these bad choices can have not just long term, but eternal consequences.
I do a lot of research as part of my ministry. Studies tracking the causes of problems facing children and teens often list one important factor. The quality of the marriage of the parents has a direct affect on their children. If parents have a healthy marriage, chances are their children are doing well, too.
As your children enter their teen years, you may begin to feel a sense of urgency in your parenting. You only have a few years remaining when you will see your child daily and have hours a day to help build their spiritual foundation. By your child’s senior year of high school, even the most proactive Christian parent can feel a sense of panic. What have you forgotten to teach? What more do you need to say?