TRAINING A Child

Scripture

Train up a child in the way he should go,
Even when he is old he will not depart from it.

~Proverbs 22:6, NASB 95

Quote

What youth learns, age does not forget.

~Danish Proverb

I remind you that Proverbs is a book of general principles, not a code of law. It is also important to note that the Proverb says “Train” up a child, not tell a child. Instruction without training is not the goal. You can’t tell a child one thing and then do another. A part of training is to set an example. The Hebrew word to “train” means to ‘hedge in’. No responsible parent gives a child complete freedom to do as they please; on the other hand, we are not training them to be slaves. We want them to be creative and think for themselves but we do set parameters or boundaries. My mother had a lot of wisdom when it came to hedging. I don’t seem to have the wisdom she had and that bothers me. One year, I don’t remember exactly, it was 1958 or maybe 59, I decided I was too old for VBS so I told mother I wasn’t going. I expected an argument but she agreed that if I didn’t really want to go, I should go. On Monday morning, she sent the girls to VBS and she sent me to the cotton patch. I chopped cotton all morning and I did pretty good until I saw the kids playing and having refreshments. The next morning, I told mother, “I think I will go to bible school.” She said, “Are you sure? You do not have to go, but if you do not go there, you are going back to the cotton field.”

Jack Mabley was a columist for the Chicago Daily News. He had a woman write him about her 17 year old son who acting out. The mom said, “He is abusive, rude, and defiant. He refuses to do anything I tell him and he is running with the wrong crowd.” She didn’t know for sure, but she suspected in was using drugs and involved in criminal behavior. Jack Mabley answer was to shrink him down to 17 months and start over. The critical years in child training is the first five.

Remember Proverbs 22:6 is a general principle: Good parents can raise sorry children and sorry parents can raise good children. Cain and Able had the same parents and so did Joseph and Levi. Don’t swell with pride because your children are doing well. You may be partly responsible but don’t leave out the grace factor. Don’t get down on yourself because your children do foolish things. They are responsible for their own behavior once they are grown. You can’t make an adult child mind.

Extra

I am excited about the supper tonight and June is encouraging me to stay in today and study and rest which I may do. My back and legs are much better and the shoulder is also getting better: rest seems to help more than anything. I did have a good visit with Mrs. Lucille Inman yesterday. She was 97 last Sunday and is as sharp as a tack. I was on my way to Huntsville and Josie’s soccer game and I didn’t get to stay as long as I wanted but it was a delight to see Mrs. Inman. Her husband, Calvin Coolidge Inman was my mentor. He was a good one.

We lack just a few odds and ends getting the apartment ready to move into. It could be this week; all depends on things out of our control.

I put this blog together this morning. I can’t proof my own writing on the same day, so there are bound to be several typo’s.

I hope you have a great day and thanks for reading the blog.