HOW TO RUIN YOUR KIDS [PART ONE]

Well before I start on this one let me give a little of my qualifications. This is not to brag, I have nothing to brag about, any good I have ever done was ALL of grace. But just to show I might just know what I am talking about... I have two grown children of my own, I have pastored 3 churches spanning a period of 24 years as well as several more years working in churches but not as the pastor. I taught school for 13 years and have literally worked with thousands of kids and hundreds of parents. I might have picked up on a few things over the years.

One way to ruin your kids (or come close to it escaping only by the grace of God) is to destroy their confidence in authority. Always taking your kids side over any teacher, pastor, principal, employer who dares to say something to them is a good way to ruin your child. Now these authority figures will not always be right but they almost dead sure know more than your child and when you are not careful you not only destroy their authority but your own as well! By the way, Evangelist Bill Rice III has written an excellent book entitled Do You Mind if Your Kids Don't? that address the issue of authority from a Biblical perspective. Moms and Dads override each other to their own detriment as well as Juniors. If the link for the book doesn't work go to http://www.billriceranch.org/ and click on "publications."

Every person has a sin nature and that means your child does as well. The only child born of woman without a sin nature was born of a virgin. That ain't your kid! "Well I trust my child" someone may say. Then you are ignorant or arrogant enough to think that what the Bible says doesn't apply to you and yours. "Didn't you trust your children?" I don't even trust myself why would I trust someone who inherited their sin nature from me? Trust and verify maybe. There is a degree of trust but we are "talking" about the other direction.

Let me give you some examples:

I know of a parent that would call their child's Sunday school teacher angrily on Sunday afternoon if said child said the teacher taught something that might could have applied to the child! Instead of trying to open the Bible and show how this truth applied to every life the parent would attack the teacher for even suggesting the child capable of sin! Later in life the parent had trouble with the child in some of the very areas covered in class that caused their outburst.

I know of a parent that was called in by the principal and confronted with their teenager's sin. the parent asked the child if they did it. the child lied and said they had not. The parent told the principal their teen didn't do it. The principal replied that the facts were undeniable and the teen was lying. The horrified parent said their child wouldn't lie to them! After the principal carefully laid out the facts before the parent and child the teen confessed to it all. The embarrassed parent should have known better as they were an educator themselves, as well as a Christian parent.

I know parents who allow their children to miss church services to supposedly study for school or get rest for the next day of school. What are they teaching their children? That God's Word is not as important as school.

How about the parent who allows their preteens to stay up any night the child wants until 11 PM or midnight? What are these parents thinking? Children of school age should be given a set bedtime, not given the choice of when they go to sleep. And don't even get me started on what they let their kids watch on television or listen to on the radio. In the words of my youngest daughter, "Oh my cow!"

Strangely enough when some of the kids get into trouble the parents blame the church and the pastor. They had destroyed the godly influence of both and expected something else? It is ultimately the parents duty to bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. If a child goes into sin it is more the parents responsibility than anyone else's. Thank God for grace.