Mark 16:20
And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.
Beloved,
For the next couple of days, I will be sharing with you ways of preserving your children as a parent.
Constant interactions with your children will help you to know what they are being exposed to. It is okay to be in their space and to know where they are per time. Knowing where they are and what they are doing will help you in playing your role in preserving their lives.
You should also pay attention to how your children interact with the following environments and the influence of the environments on them:
the church
- Their friends’ homes
- Your own home
- Their school
- Their local community
You may not have control over all other atmosphere or territories, but you can control what goes on in your own home. While in church and in your house, your children should be exposed to positive influences derived from the word of God, and interactions with other like-minded people. But you cannot say the same for their school, the local community, or their friends’ homes. As a result, there are things to look out for and to implement in your home if you want to worry less over the upbringing of your children.
- If you have more than one child, then you should obey the law of first. This means raise your first child exceptionally well. Invest time, wisdom and every necessary resource into your first child so that they will represent you well, and the other siblings will enjoy the leadership of their eldest sibling. Then, you can rest assured that your job will get easier with the younger ones because of the positive influence of their eldest sibling.
- Hide your child from the eye of the public and from untimely and unwanted attention. It is okay to not let your child become a celebrity at a young age. Don’t expose them to outside influences too early in life. While hiding your children, spend time and effort to equip them appropriately until they get to their place of performance. Teach them life skills such as financial intelligence, emotional intelligence, empathy, critical thinking, character development, house chores, interactive and social skills, and everything else that a person needs to gain an advantage in life. In hiding, capacity is built, and strength of character is established.
- Know when to say yes and when to say no. Don’t give access to certain things too early in life. Communicate yes and no firmly and clearly so that your children know where you stand on matters. Teach your children responsibility and let them know that trust is earned, and it is not a privilege. Teach them to be trustworthy and let it be known that they cannot have some privileges if they have not proven themselves to be responsible for it.
- Address matters on time. Otherwise things will pile up, take root, and as a result become hard to uproot. When you address matters immediately, your children are empowered to learn from the experience, and they are able to prevent mistakes from occurring in the future.
I commend you to God and to the word of His grace.
I call you blessed. I call you NATIONS.
