In Top Tip for Raising a Mature, Godly Child, I promised to share tips for how to disciple your child. A well discipled child has a much better chance of making more mature, godly choices. As we saw when Jesus discipled his Apostles, there were some mis-steps along the way. One (Judas) even decided to reject everything Jesus had tried to teach him.
There are no guarantees following these tips will make your children perfect or even that they will consistently make godly, mature decisions. Some mis-steps are likely, in part because of their lack of life experience. That is part of the discipling process – teaching, demonstrating and then giving opportunities for guided practice. Guided practice gives your kids a safe place to make those mistakes. A place where a Christian adult is standing by to mentor or offer help when needed. Practice that allows for feedback and correction.
Parents who don’t disciple their kids often find their children are involved in real life scenarios without that extra godly support. Suddenly, these young people are with peers and attempting to make potentially life-changing if not eternity changing decisions without having been prepared. Honestly, it’s surprising more kids and teens don’t end up in over their heads, making poor choices.
So how do you disciple your kids? There are a lot of things you can do, but if you follow the model Jesus set with his Apostles, you will be making a good start.
John Quincy Adams is a little known American President. Other than being the son of President John Adams, most of us know nothing about him. It’s a shame, because I think the Adam’s knew the secret to raising a mature son. (I can’t speak to how godly he was as historians tend to have little interest in such matters.) Don’t believe me?
When your children are very young, you tend to worry about interesting things. I have seen mothers absolutely obsessed with potty training or taking away a binky from a toddler who is still sucking on it for comfort. Don’t even get me started on night lights, thumb sucking and teddy bears. (Especially since I still own my Super Bear!)
Haughty is a great word. You can almost picture a person with an aristocratic nose stuck high in the air. I have to admit, sometimes haughty people amuse me. Donald Trump is one of my favorites. Everything he has is always the best and he is always the smartest person he knows. Most of the time I am looking at whatever he is so prideful of and thinking “That is the most hideous thing I have ever seen.” Yet, he persists in thinking everyone is envious of him.
Nothing can be cuter than two or three year olds absolutely insisting they know something is right when they have it entirely confused. It doesn’t matter how much evidence you provide that they are wrong, this child (not yours or mine of course) will stubbornly stick to the original statement. Most parents eventually shrug it off and figure over time the child will learn he is incorrect and will change his mind.