June 2009
By Deon Hall
Children will always challenge parental leadership. They will question boundaries you establish and will try your patience with childish intimidation of your authority. They actually want parental leadership, a model to live by, a spiritual example and parental love and understanding. Your children need your positive encouragement. Young people responds to praise. Parents, be quick to compliment your children when they do well at something. There is enormous power in parental praise!
The Houston, Texas police department has published an interesting list of rules for raising delinquents (Twelve Rules for Raising Delinquent Children):
- Begin in infancy to give the child everything he wants. In this way he will grow up to believe the world owes him a living.
- When he picks up bad words, laugh at him. This will make him think he’s cute.
- Never give him any spiritual training. Wait until he is twenty-one and then let “him decide for himself”.
- Avoid the use of “wrong”. He may develop a guilt complex. This will condition him to believe later, when he is arrested, that society is against him and he is being persecuted.
- Pick up everything he leaves lying around. Do everything for him so that he will be experienced in throwing all responsibility on others.
- Take his part against neighbours, teachers, and policemen - they are all prejudiced against your child.
- Quarrel frequently in the presence of your children. In this way they won’t be so shocked when the home is broken up later.
- Give the child all the spending money he wants. Never let him earn his own.
- Satisfy his every craving for food, drink, and comfort. See that his every sensual desire is gratified.
10 Let him read any printed material, and listen to any music he can get his hands on. Be careful that the silverware and drinking glasses are sterilized, but let his mind feast on garbage.
11 When he gets into real trouble, apologize to yourself by saying, “I could never do anything with him.”
12 Prepare for a life of grief. You will likely have it.
And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
- Ephesians 6:4
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. - Proverbs 22:6
The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame. - Proverbs 29:15
Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. - Colossians 3:20
