More Thoughts on the Stages of Parenting

A couple of months ago, I wrote about The Phases of Raising Boys, giving counsel from two other resources.

This past weekend, Pastor Matt Williams (Grace Church, Greenville, SC) started a new series on I Kings. In part of his sermon, he spoke about King David's failure to lead his family.

I've already watched the sermon. (I think I was the first on-line viewer, all the way from Allendale, SC.) But I think the four stages outlined can best be summarized by Tweets by @DavidAllston, with the key concept in bold.

1. "When your children are young, you must teach them to submit to authority."
2. "As your children grow older, they must learn responsibility."
3. "In their teens, your children must learn a healthy independence."
4. "When your children are grown, you can interact with them as friends."

Problems come when we do what most of the culture is trying to do -- making our young children our friends. We must be intentional to train our children according to Godly wisdom, not worldly counsel. We must parent with the future in mind, not what is convenient or satisfying for us now.

We can learn from the model of King David's parenting. 

 "David's failure to discipline his children creates havoc in his family and in the kingdom."

Related Links:

• Proverbs Family  
• Developing Our Kids to Be Leaders  
• 4 Things That Dads Need to Do to Be Connected to Their Family