Parenting Children - September 29, 2012

Day 46 - Praying for our children

Parenting Children Ages 0-10

• never too soon to start (see the account of John the Baptist in the womb in Luke 1:44, The Bible)
• never too late to start (see the Parable of the Lost Son in Luke 15: 11-24, The Bible)
• turn fears and longings into prayers
• when to pray:

o with them before they go to sleep
o teaching them to pray (thank you, sorry, please)
o on our own
o with others
o in traffic jams or when cleaning up or ironing
• when prompted (often at moments of potential danger or temptation for our child)
• everyday

what to pray for:
• friendships
• schools
• their health
• their safety
• their marriage partner (most children will marry one day and their marriage partner may well already be alive somewhere)
• their response to God's love
• their characters - use the fruit of the Spirit as a list to pray through: love. joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (see Galatians 5: 22-23, The Bible)
• pray with them, particularly at bedtime
• pray for yourselves as parents

Question:
Take some time to pray for your child(ren), and plan to make it a regular routine.

Related Topics: Children, Family, God, Prayer | More Messages from Parenting Children | Download Audio

From Series: "Parenting Children Ages 0-10"

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4. Be one step ahead

  • use distraction, distract your child from the issue causing conflict
  • develop your own tarntlu rules to avoid regular arguments

5. Give choices

  • being given choices is an important part of a child’s learning to take responsibility
  • give choices over issues that are unimportant,
  • Which of your toys do you want to take?” and “Do you want to play on the beach or go swimming?”
  • giving choices helps to defuse conflict

6. Stay in control

  • avoid being dragged into shouting matches our emotional reactions can give children a sense of power over us – like allowing them to press a “big red button” on our chests to see us react. getting angry, chasing them, getting upset
  • find a way to give realistic warnings

don’t be manipulated by your child(ren)’s shouting, whining, or tantrums

How can you stay in control of yourself when faced with bad behaviour?

 

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