I’m a mother who believes that there is much more to parenthood than just putting a roof over their heads and feeding our children. Parenting is a huge responsibility, and how we raise our children today will influence them for the rest of their lives- whether we realize it or not.
5 LESSONS TO TEACH OUR KIDS:
1. Serve the Lord. There is nothing more humbling, fulfilling, and rewarding than serving the Lord. I do value education, but it is much more important for children to have a real relationship with the Lord. Prioritizing a relationship with Christ above everything is key. If they stay close to Jesus then everything else will work out. Nothing compares to serving the Lord.
2. Stay focused. Nowadays there are so many distractions! The internet, social media, entertainment, and even people have the ability to distract us from what really matters. We should pray that our children will have the wisdom & strength to be able to stay focused on what’s important to them- regardless of what others are doing. A key scripture to rely on:
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
– Romans 12:2
3. Do the right thing. Our children will be faced with various decisions as they grow. To help them navigate these decisions we should instill in them the importance of doing the right thing. If we don’t, then many of their actions will be thoughtless and self-centered. We should teach them to help others when in need without expecting anything in return. They must be taught the importance of standing up for those who need help. We must pray that our children are strong enough to do the right thing even when it seems that everyone else is doing wrong.
4. Work hard. Things in life will not simply be handed to you. One way that we can avoid raising entitled children is to teach them the importance of hard work. Kids must learn responsibility, diligence, and resilience. Life is not always easy, nor is it always fair, so we must teach our children that in order to live productive lives that they must work.
5. Handle your business. This is a motto in our household. It is so important to teach our children the importance of handling business. Whether it be chores, homework, or activities; they must learn how to prioritize and handle business before playing. Life is not all fun and games, and what a shame if we raise our children only emphasizing play. Play is important, yet it has its proper place which is after handling your business.
There are so many areas that we focus on as we raise our children, and certainly this is no exhaustive list. This gives us 5 lessons to teach our kids that will help us ensure that we aren’t overly focused on the materialistic while neglecting the heart and character of our children.
With love,
Read FAMILY & PARENTING: 10 Parenting Tips
