• having a vision for our familu life
• pausing to think about what we want to achieve
• what will our children’s memories be of us and their home in twenty years, time?
Goals for our family life - When they are adults, will our children associate their upbringing with:
• having fun together as a family?
• being listened to?
• being able to talk through difficult choices?
• being encouraged and affirmed?
• being valued for their unique personality and gifts?
• knowing they are loved?
• learning important values of honesty, generosity, etc.?
• learning to think about others?
• being prayed for?
• having clear boundaries for their own protection?
• seeing kindness modeled?
The importance of play
• using their imagination
• learning skills
• playing on their own
• playing with others
• indoor and outdoor play
• limiting screen time
Question: Did you have fun with your family growing up? When do you have the most fun together as a family now?
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:
with them before they go to sleep
teaching them to pray (thank you, sorry, please)
on our own
with others
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
Take some time to pray for your child(ren), and plan to make it a regular routine. Our Christianity 101 Course may help you explore the topic of prayer, God and Christianity in more depth.
