Moms and Dads Equip Your Kids for the Real World – Part 1

And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous — to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” Luke 1:17

Research shows the results of the ‘dad deficit’. Too many kids today are growing up without a father’s input. And as a result they end up making poor life, relationship and marriage choices. I applaud all the single mothers I know who do a wonderful job of raising their children while working and doing everything else – the role of two people! I also applaud the mothers for the job they do when the “dad” is not around much, for whatever reason. So how does a parent equip their kids for life in the real world? 1) Know what they’re up to. Get to know what makes them tick. Ask what subjects they enjoy in school, and which ones they’re struggling with. Learn who their friends are; who they spend time with at break and after school. Try to listen and learn. Take them out occasionally for breakfast or a hamburger; they’ll feel like royalty spending one-on-one time! 2) Teach them to stand tall. A tragedy of their young world is the increasing suicide rate because of playground bullying. Teach your kids to stand up for themselves. Teach them respect, and how to protect themselves by speaking up appropriately in class when they’re unclear about the lesson, or to courageously say what they believe. Teach them assertiveness in confronting unfair treatment. Kids who become ‘punching bags’ are set up to be victimized! 3) Give them an example. However accomplished your ‘preaching’ skills may be, unless you’re ‘walking the walk’ your kids only hear one thing: ‘Blah, blah, blah.’ You can tell them it’s important to be healthy and active, but if you’re a couch potato inhaling bags of chips and watching endless TV, they’re not convinced. Set an example by getting fit, pursuing a healthy lifestyle, activities and interests, and watch them think how ‘cool’ it is to be like Mom or Dad!

Prayer
Heavenly Father, help me to be the best parent I can be to my children – and most importantly to show them You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen