Raising Kids Who Mind Without Losing Yours

RAISING KIDS WHO MIND WITHOUT LOSING YOURS

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR: TEACHERS KNOW - KIDS ARE QUICK

1. TEACHER: “Donald, what is the chemical formula for water?” DONALD: “H I J K L M N O.” TEACHER: “What are you talking about?” DONALD: “Yesterday you said it's H to O.”

2. TEACHER: “Glen, why do you always get so dirty?”

GLEN: “Well, I'm a lot closer to the ground than you are.”

3. TEACHER: “George Washington not only chopped down his father's cherry tree, but also admitted it.

Now, Louie, do you know why his father didn't punish him?” LOUIS: “Because George still had the axe in his hand.....”

4. TEACHER: “Clyde, your composition on 'My Dog' is exactly the same as your brother's. Did you copy his?”

CLYDE : “No, sir. It's the same dog.”

B. PARENTING ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT THINGS IN LIFE

1. More than 30% of parents feel they’re failures.

2. Responses tell parents feelings:

a. "I don’t know how to cope with children's problems."

b. "I've lost confidence in my ability to parent."

c. "I'm not the example I should be."

d. "I’m seeing my own bad habits & character traits in my children."

e. "I have an inability to relate to my children."

f. "I’m dealing with guilt concerning my kids."

g. "I'm overwhelmed by the responsibility of it all."

3. This all indicates that there is a great need for a plan. God never said parenting would be easy; that's why it begins with something called "Labor!"

C. BLUEPRINT FOR RAISING KIDS

OUR GOAL AS A PARENT IS TO LAUNCH A YOUNG PERSON INTO THE WORLD WHO:

1. Knows how to WORK and PROVIDE for themselves.

2. Is able to make WISE CHOICES in their decisions and their relationships with others.

3. Has STRONG CONVICTIONS of right and wrong and knows the BOUNDARIES of acceptable behavior -- not only before men, but before God!

4. But most of all has a STRONG FAITH in God, dedication to CHURCH and a PASSION to touch the world for Jesus Christ.

5. TITLE: “RAISING KIDS WHO MIND WITHOUT LOSING YOURS.” MANY THINGS GO INTO THE BLUEPRINT, BUT MOST ARE SUMMED UP IN THESE FIVE REQUIREMENTS:

I. PARENTS MUST BE THE MODELS

“Fathers, …bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord” Eph. 6:4.

A. DEFINITION OF “MODEL”

1. The New Testament uses several Greek words that are translated by the word, “example.”

a. The word deigma and its variants suggests a “model,” either for good or bad, Heb. 4:11.

b. The Greek tupos denotes a “print or sketch” (cf. Jn. 20:25; 1 Tim. 1:16); or it can suggest a “pattern” (Heb. 8:5). Elders are to be “examples” to the flock of God (1 Pe. 5:3).

c. 1 Pet. 2:21 uses the word hupogrammos (literally “to write under,” used of a child’s writing exercise, copying the alphabet.

2. Paul made an amazing statement in 1 Cor. 11:1, “Follow my example, just as I follow Christ’s” Living Bible. We parents should be able to tell our kids, “Pattern your life after mine, and if you do, you will be a Christian.”

3. You are probably the only Jesus/Bible those around you will ever see! “We are epistles, known and read of all men” 2 Cor. 3:2. We can’t lay it off on someone else to be a Christian; the responsibility falls on us.

4. It’s a terrible thought, but people will judge Christ by us. The owner of a hotel chain regularly tells her employees, “Remember, my reputation is in your hands!” There are so many hypocrites, so many who lead double lives – let it not be said of us!

B. CAUGHT, NOT TAUGHT

1. If I had the chickenpox, but gave an lecture on measles to a roomful of children, they're not going to catch what I've taught, they're going to catch what I’ve got! Children do what we do, not what we say. We must have the live virus of Jesus to transmit Him.

2. How dedicated to Christ do you want your son, daughter, or grandchild to be? Do You want them to attend church? Have daily prayer times? Read the Bible? Then you should lead by example.

II. GIVE A SOLID FOUND. OF HIGH SELF-ESTEEM

“The Single most effective deterrent to negative peer pressure is a good self-esteem." (Josh McDowell). Where do they get good self-esteem? Specialists in human personality point to 3 components; “They get good self-esteem by…”

A. BY KNOWING THEY “BELONG”

1. When family, friends, church family, etc. love them unconditionally, and accept them just as they are, this is...

2. External evidence of their worth.

B. KNOWING THEY ARE “WORTHY”

1. You're special. You're valuable. God's estimation is that I'm worth more than all the world. So it doesn't matter what people think!