I’ve been mulling over the idea of some posts on child rearing for a while, and the beginning of a month seems like a good time to launch. These short write-ups will weave together Biblical teaching, insights from others, a few book recommendations, and our (Tonia and mine) experience in bringing up our kids. Some things I advise will be controversial, and I’m sure that not everything I say will be completely spot on: you’ll have to check it all against THE BIBLE. Also, I’m going to try to be especially plain-spoken in this series. Try (!)
My mom forwarded me the Herman Bavinck quote in the following link, and now I have it taped onto my closet wall. A reminder of how vital is the home in shaping the person and, indeed, the society. In the two photos attached to the article, see if you can spot the kid who gave us an extra bit of trouble (and hey, you can meet him in person this Sunday!).
Below, see some of the topics we’ll be covering. As we go along I’m sure others will come to mind. Throughout, I’ll be trying to emphasize that a) children are a huge blessing, b) parenting is a major responsibility wherein God offers us a lot of grace, and c) speaking generally, both the society and the evangelical church are failing big time at this child-rearing project. Let’s do better!
Child Rearing
* What is a human being?
* High expectations
* Goals in parenting
* Where’s the instruction manual?
* Discipline
* Laziness in parenting
* The role of the mother
* The role of the father
* Children are a blessing
* Raising resilient kids
* The role of the Church
* God’s grace
* Christ the Center
* Entitlement
* How to spoil kids
* The role of grandparents
* The role of aunts and uncles
* Reading
* Kids and work
* Technology traps
* Stages of parenting
* Siding with the teacher
* Teaching the Bible
* Education
* Praying for your kids
* Friends
* The gift of contentment
* Hateful hypocrisy
* Trusting God in parenting
* TV Consumption
* Fresh air
* Fearful parenting begets…
* Sports
* Taking critique
* Speech in the house
* Weekly rhythms
* Self-control
Sincerely,
Colin
P.S. I thought this recent article treating the issue of kids who “wander off the gospel reservation” was wise and helpful.
Leave a Reply