Monday, September 10, 2012

Who's the Boss?

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I have been wanting to write a book with this title for years now.  And someday I may. But I thought it is definitely worth a blog post.

You see, I see so many families revolving their entire lives around their children.  It starts when the children are just small babies and toddlers. The children determine the entire families' schedule and mood. If Johnny doesn't want to do so and so, well, then, the entire family just won't do it.  If Susie wants to do so and so, well, then the entire family will make sure that it happens.

I have seen 2 year olds scream "No!" in the most defiant voice to a parent and receive no punishment or consequences for it. I have seen them lay down on the floor kicking and screaming while a parent hovers over them trying to bribe them with candy.

Having had four toddlers myself, I know how tempting this can be.  Life is not fun with an unhappy toddler.  However, it is so incredibly important that we teach our children that, while they are an integral part of our family, they are not the center of it.

The sooner they learn that life does not revolve around them, the sooner they will become a valuable part of our society. How many people do you know in your place of employment or on the sports field who believe that the entire world should bow to their wants and wishes?

As Christian parents, we need to teach our children that God and others are more important than ourselves. We teach this not only by our examples, but also by not tolerating tantrums and disrespectful language directed at adults.

We have a great responsibility before the Lord to raise kids that not only love Him, but others, as well. What I see in our culture is a great many children being raised to love only themselves.  And the sad thing is many parents are promoting this self-love by, unwittingly, revolving their entire lives around the children.

Let's be so very careful to remember that God designed the parents to be the head of the family. The parents are to make the decisions and the plans for the family. And, while we love and cherish our children, let's be careful not to ultimately hurt them by giving in to their every whim and wish.

1 comment:

  1. The sad thing is that these parents aren't helping their child to be a thriving,independent,and successful adult but are instead hindering it :(

    Thanks for commenting!

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