Christian parenting aims at raising raise godly offspring whose loyalty is first to God, who in turn will use them as arrows in the society to fulfil His own counsel. This means raising children who will not only be able to fit into society, but also have the guts to stand contrary to societal norms whenever it clashes with the will of God. However, in Christian parenting we don’t want to raise the following kinds of children:
1. HYPOCRITES
We don’t want to raise hypocrites; teenagers who live a double life. They are obedient and compliant at home, but outside are rogues, ring leaders of troublemakers, ladies who dress modestly at home, but dress in the attire of a harlot once they are out of the home.
2. DEPENDENT CHILDREN
Children who cannot take simple decisions on their own, children who don’t have a sense of judgement who, when faced with a little challenge would run back home for help; children who can’t pray and command the devil to leave their path, who are weaklings. If there is any challenge they can’t think through a reasonable solution until they phone home.
3. COWARDS
These are children who are timid and who are usually afraid when trouble comes. If they discover that their roommate in school is a witch, they would run away and change rooms rather than stay and bind the spirit of witchcraft; children who can’t stand and resist evil, but who will go with the crowd so that they will not be ridiculed.
4. DOGMATIC CHILDREN
Children who believe the things they have been taught at home, but who don’t know why they believe. Children who, when questioned about their faith don’t know how to defend their faith. Children who just believe what they are told without cross-checking from the Bible if it is valid.
5. SELF-CENTRED CHILDREN
Children whose question will first be ’what gain is in this for me?’ before they get involved in anything, children who cannot inconvenience themselves in order to be a blessing to others, children who want others to serve them but who don’t want to serve anyone.
Culled from ‘BRIDGING THE ADULT-YOUTH GAP’ by Deji & Jadesola Adepeju