I have been thinking about last Sunday's sermon all week. Our senior minister, Zach Stewart, preached about raising children. For those of you who know me, I have been blessed with three children. Two are adults now and one is in first grade. So my husband and I have spent 25 years raising children with about 12 more years to go! Not for the faint of heart, for sure.
Zach spoke about the need for fear in raising children. NOT that you fear your children but that your children need to fear you! Some of you are going to stop reading right now because you are thinking, whaaaaaat? I never want my children to fear me!
Do you know that you are supposed to fear God? "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding." Psalm 111:10. And yet we also learn in the Bible that God loves us more than we can possibly imagine. He is always there to forgive us when we ask for forgiveness. His love is so great that he sacrificed his only son. Fear and Love.
Why wouldn't it be that way for parents and children? We are made in his image. I'm sure we think that we love our children every bit as much as God loves us. And yet, we don't bother to teach our children to fear us. Instead we are the ones who are fearful that if we tell our children "no" or give consequences for misbehavior that they will not love us anymore.
Here at Shining Light we have several goals. One is to prepare children for school. That means following rules in addition to the ABC's, counting, shapes, colors, using scissors, writing name, etc. Once your child is in elementary school, it will not be twelve children and two teachers. It may be 20 - 25 children with ONE teacher! Being able to follow rules will be a huge part of their learning curve. And that is where we hope to help out before they enter those schoolroom doors for twelve years.
So sometimes we tell your children "no". No, you cannot scream in the hallway; the babies are sleeping. No, you cannot head butt your classmate. No, you need to sit on the rug and listen. No, you cannot take that toy away from your friend. No, you cannot walk UP the slide. No, you cannot call the teacher or your friends "stupid". And no, you are not going to pitch a fit, scream and cry when you don't get your way.
I think you will agree that sometimes "no" is a good thing. It prepares children for the realities of life. Think about the times you've been told "no". No, you didn't get the job you wanted or no, you can't keep the one you have. No, that house already has a contract on it. No, you didn't get into the grad school of your choice. No, there isn't enough money to buy a new car this year. No, it isn't the right time for another child or no, there won't be any more children.
If you were never told "no" as a child, think about how much more difficult it is to accept "no" now as an adult. If you were told "no", think about how much easier it is to accept that sometimes life is just that way, and we don't always get what we want.
Help us train your child in the way he should go. Please be supportive of our teachers' efforts and understand that when we discipline, we do it for a greater good.
