Experience Keeps a Dear School

No, my husband and I are not rookies. The number of children doesn't equal experience. We have seven of our own children, and we have been blessed with 20 grandchildren. We obviously have a few experiences on our resume.

Some of the problems: both parents are leaving the home to go to work. They are leaving their children in godless daycare centers, until they can turn them over to a godless system of education. That means the children will not be taught even remotely principle upon principle of Godly training. This is our accepted society as a whole, and oddly enough, also embraced by professing Christians.

My husband and I refused to send our children to head start, preschool, and etc. We kept them until we were forced to send them to public school. Our oldest children were in public school until 7th, 8th, 3rd, and 2nd grades. The length of time they spent in public school determined the extent of difficulty we experienced raising them.

HOWEVER, having said that--homeschooling/ and christian education are not the end all answers. Our society lost the pattern for raising children when parents began substituting the advice of Godly parents, grandparents, church elders, for the advice of the newest 'teacher' (Dr. Spock for example). Now we don't have the previous generation to go back to because they are gone--long gone.
We are told by the 'experts' that only 'experts' know how to raise our children. Really?  And how has that worked for us?

Here are some random thoughts that I have gleaned from my Dear School:

*It is my theory if both parents work outside the home they pay almost all of the second salary to support the government.  One reason the government WANTS both parents to work outside the home.

*Know your children--as individuals. Each child is different, and what works with one may not work for each one. Too many people look at babies as blank sheets of paper that WE program.  Not so. Each child is born a bundle from God.  They have their personalities already intact. Study and pray over that child daily so that you will COMPETENTLY nuture and discipline them in the way fit for that child.
*Pray for each child--let them HEAR you pray for them. Pray that they 'will grow up to be fine young Christian men and ladies who will love and follow in the way the Lord wants them to go.
*Do not fail to seize each opportunity to teach Godly principles. A preacher friend of ours encouraged us that when we saw sin--point it out. Many times we see things (ungodly) and we turn away and hope our children didn't see 'that'. For example some person driving along with a cigarette hanging out of their mouth. Don't turn away, point it out, and point out why we don't do such things. Point out how disgusting sin is--why we wear modest clothing, so our bodies don't hang out. Why we don't curse, or perhaps why we do certain things. Teach them precept upon precept, line upon line.
*When young adult christians leave their first love--don't always chalk up our loses as 'free will'.
 I have read articles declaring that there is only one reason kids leave the church. The writers of these articles usually place blame on the parents.  The parents don't teach, the parents don't take, the parents...no, there is more than one trigger for people who choose to abandon the faith.  Ultimately the person chooses to abandon the faith because of  their own selfishness.
*Proactive, we must be proactive...remember children become adults with free will. As parents it's our job to combat the lies that Satan will whisper to them to draw them away. And do it BEFORE he whispers.
*Mothers--support your Godly husband. A house divided will eventually fall. I've seen men who try to set rules and boundaries for the children--and wives that come behind, and encourage if not open disobedience,  they encourage sneaky or delayed disobedience. And husbands, remember you and your wife need to be on the same page in these areas.

I wish we could go back through certain times in the past and apply what we've learned to all of our children, but of course we only get one shot. These are some things that hopefully will help others. Perhaps, you could say--this is for the rookies among us.
 Matthew18:4 "Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."