"You must become what you want your child to become, if you would bring him to repentance.
You must become a person of joy, peace and love.
You must know God and love Him.
You must be disciplined and holy in your own personal life.
You must tend to your marriage so that it becomes the envy of all who know you well."
This made me realize that if I want to raise rude kids then all I have to do is be rude.
If I want to raise complainers, then I have to complain.
If I want to raise ungrateful brats, then I have to be ungrateful.
If I want to raise good mothers and wives, then I have to be one.
If I want to raise good fathers and husbands, then I have to be one.
If I want to raise kids that love God and obey Him with all their hearts, then I have to do it first."
As I read this statement by Michael Pearl of No Greater Joy Ministries, it reallly struck a chord with me.
There's so much truth here.
Children will mimic what they see....& will act how as you allow them to act.
My response to people to ask us questions about upbringing & child-rearing is this:
we may make different decisions than most, but we're wanting different results than most!
We know people wonder why we don't allow our sons to 'run around or hang out' with various church youth groups, neighborhood acquaintances, or even certain family members.
We are very selective with who we allow to influence our sons.
We realize that every person we allow them to spend time with will either support or tear down this foundation we are working to build.
With the help of our loving Father, here's what we're attempting to do:
We are working hard to raise upstanding young men who love the Lord, love & respect their parents {& each other}, who are responsible & aren't afraid to work.
We are teaching them to honor their grandparents, the elderly & those in authority over them.
We want them to be productive ... & do more with their day than play video games.
We want them to love to read, seek knowledge & be able to hold an intelligent conversation.
We expect them to help out around the house & realize that as a family, it takes each of us working together to make our family work!
They have to complete their assigned chores & keep their room/things organized & tidy.
{Someday their respective wives will thank us.}
I've said plenty of times, there will be no slobs coming out of this house;)
Not only does this teach responsibility now, it will help them someday when they will be the provider of their own home.
We want them to see the value of hard work & feel the pride of accomplishment with a job well-done.
We are teaching them the importance of God's Word.
Their father leads our family worship every day, instructing & guiding us, as the head of our home.
What an awesome leader they have in him...
a model of Biblical manhood lived out before them everyday.
Our fervent heart's cry is to seek first the kingdom of God as we are raising up our sons.
Do we do everything right as parents? No.
We are in need of God's grace each & every day.
Our goal is to look back & know that we redeemed the time we were given during these impressionable, formative years....
that we poured into our sons the ingredients to help them grow into God-honoring men.
