Think a minute…Yesterday we learned from the boiling frog that it’s easy to become so accustomed and comfortable with our wrong parenting that we do not see the dangerous direction we are leading our kids. Before it’s too late, we need to start changing the negative, hurtful ways we may be raising and teaching them. First, we learned not to use anger, yelling, and nagging to train our children. It does not truly work, nor does it make a happy family.
Second, we parents must earn our child’s respect. It’s easy to get your child to fear you, but it will take your time and love to earn their true respect. This is so important, because your child’s respect for your authority is going to determine his respect for all other kinds of authority: his school teachers, bosses, laws and government, along with everyone else he will live and work with. If you want your children to accept your authority and values when they are teenagers, you must first earn their respect by your daily good example during their younger years. As an expert family counselor says: “Rules without relationship bring rebellion.”
We parents can seriously, even permanently, damage our children through overly strict, harsh, and unloving punishment that hurts them emotionally through cruel, unkind words or even physical harm. A child should never be laughed at and his feelings not valued and cared about by his or her parents. A father or mother who regularly hurts and humiliates their child will eventually lose their child’s love and respect for them. The child will fear you enough to obey you when they’re young, but later as a young adult they may deeply resent you for years, or even for their entire lifetime.
A third important principle is to show your love to your child after you’ve needed to discipline him or her. Let your child know that you will always accept him, even if you do not approve of his bad behavior and attitudes. Remember, discipline is not something we do to our child, but something we do for our child. As his parents, we need to help him develop good character, so he can build real happiness and success in life with honor. That is how we communicate to our child this important message: “I love you too much to let you think and behave wrongly.” Love should be the reason for everything we say and do with our child.
Today, won’t you ask Jesus to forgive you for your mistakes as a parent? Then, ask Him to help you love and teach your children the way they need and were created for. Just think a minute…