4 Ways Parents Are Raising Their Children The Right Way

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10 Things Parents Might Not Realize they are Doing Right

1. Speaking Honestly.
“And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32

There is freedom found in honest conversations with our children. If we are talking to them at all, we’re already doing this. At an age appropriate level, when we are honest with them, they feel free to talk to us. Kids don’t always know when they need to talk about something, especially in the elementary and tween years. They are faced with situations daily that make them question their sense of right and wrong.

Taking the time to talk to our kids is helping them learn the importance of family and the purpose of other people in their lives. We need to talk to each other and point them towards the Truth of God’s Word and how they can apply it to their lives.

2. Apologizing.
“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” James 5:16

When our kids see us apologize to the people in our lives, it creates a powerful witness to the path of forgiveness. The seeds of tolerance are watered when we extend our apologies and our forgiveness to others, no matter how long of a process it may be.

The time you apologized to your toddler for losing your patience and yelling at them wasn’t a parental fail, but rather a realistic model of dealing with human imperfections. They learn to say, “I’m sorry,” from us. Any parent knows that those two words are not easily extracted from any young child’s mouth! Isn’t it amazing how much work we have to do to assure them that it’s OK to make a mistake?

Learning what they are responsible to apologize for and learning to forgive will help them develop healthy boundaries and guard their hearts. On top of that, they learn to be aware of their imperfections without allowing those imperfections to steal away from their secure identity as a child of God.

3. Pointing to Scripture.
“Children are a heritage from the Lord.” Psalm 127:3

We don’t have to be able to rattle off memorized Bible verses, complete with references, at the perfect time or stick to a Bible-reading schedule to water our kids in the Word. It’s possible to speak the Truth to our kids without remembering where in the Bible it came from. When we are watered in the Word, it naturally trickles down into our daily life, including conversations with our kids.

It can be easy to feel ill-equipped to lead our young ones into life when we feel we have so much to learn ourselves. Take heart! Christ tells us to have faith like a child. As we seek Him daily and lead our little charges to seek Him too, the Holy Spirit (alive and active in us) takes it from there. He promises that when we seek Him, we will find Him ( Jeremiah 29:13 ), and our children will learn right alongside us.

4. Holding Children Accountable.
“Whoever heeds discipline shows the way to life …” Proverbs 10:17

Now that my kids are past the toddler meltdown stage, I sympathize with the mom in the grocery store aisle whose kid is writhing and screaming on the floor of the cereal aisle after hearing the word, “no.” My reaction to that mom is always a proverbial pat on the back, accompanied by an encouraging smile. “You’re a good mom. I’ve been there. This too shall pass!”

There’s not a child alive that likes to hear the word, “no.” In fact, I doubt there is an adult alive that likes to hear it either! It’s much easier to let it blow over to keep the peace. But true peace and freedom sprout roots from healthy boundaries, and that involves saying “no.”

Holding our children accountable for their responsibilities runs alongside discipline. As they get older, allowing them to accept responsibility for grades, completed projects, and household chores fights their natural inclination towards entitlement. Kudos to the parents to are letting go slowly as their children grow by allowing them to make mistakes and live through the repercussions of showing up late to school, getting bad grade, or running out of clean clothes.