Train a Child

Train a child in the way he should go,
and when he is old he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6)

Many parents want to make all the choices for their child, but this hurts him or her in the long run. When parents teach a child how to make decisions, they don't have to watch every step he or she takes. They know their children will remain on the right path because they have made the choice themselves. Train your child to choose the right way.
(From the Life Application Study Bible)

I have to confess that I have found a new, laser-like focus on this principle in the past few months. Our oldest child is getting ready to go to college. I often find myself assessing decisions I make, words I use, or attitudes I display with this criteria:


Do I want this replicated in her life?


Because if I do want her to act, speak, or think this way, my choice is probably a good one.


But if I do not want to see or hear this coming out of her life, I should probably choose a different one myself.


Would this line of questioning cause some of us to be less critical?

Would this cause us to live with integrity?


Someone once said, "Past performance is the best predictor of the future."

What I have done in the past is most likely what I will do in the future.

What my young children see and hear from my own life is most likely what they will do in their life.

May we be intentional in what we are passing onto our kid and grandkids, nieces and nephews.

Grace & peace