Want your kids to respect you when they are teenagers? Be responsible when they are teenagers? The list could go on and on!
This posts shares five simple Christian parenting concepts: basically, five things you probably want for your kids when they are teenagers and five things you can do to help make that happen.
If You Want Your Children to Respect Your When They Are Teenagers
If you want your children to respect you when they are teenagers . . . spend the first thirteen years of their lives BEING respectable and DEMONSTRATING respect for others.
If You Want Your Children to Do Housework When They Are Teenagers
If you want your children to do housework when they are teenagers . . . spend their childhood teaching them how to do housework—and to do it without being asked.
Start them early and make it normal for them to do housework, not like they’re doing you some sort of favor. And, please, make it as pleasant as possible!
If You Want Your Children to Be Responsible When They Are Teenagers
If you want your children to be responsible when they are teenagers . . . teach them to be responsible before they get there.
A good example and little guidance is worth a lot.
If You Want Your Children to Like You When They Are Teenagers
If you want your children to like you when they are teenagers. . . train them for thirteen years to have good taste in friends. Then be a good friend.
Maybe you don’t care if they “like” you. Well, consider this: people imitate people they like. People take the advice of people they like. People hang out with people they like. While compromising principle so your kids will like you is not helpful, being liked by your kids for the right reasons is pure gold.
If You Want Your Children to Love God When They Are Teenagers
If you want your children to love God when they are teenagers. . . make sure God (not just God-stuff but God Himself) is present in their lives, every day of their lives, from day one.
Teach them about His love. Demonstrate His love. Help them genuinely get to know Him and have a personal relationship with Him before they hit the teen years.
Raising teenagers doesn’t start when your first child turns thirteen! Whatever you want for your kids when they are teenagers, what you do and don’t do for the first thirteen years of their lives will have a HUGE impact on how they think and acts as teens. That’s just the way human minds work!
What concepts do you need to work on implementing right now?
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Agreed! My oldest three are now all teens, and folks remark on how responsible, kind, and respectful they are. God's grace and a lot of purposeful parenting, I say!
Author
That’s great! What parents do makes a huge difference. I like the idea of “purposeful parenting!”
I totally agree with this post! I wish my mom would have respected us children then we could know how to repsect her! I am 16 and have siblings from age 30-11. My mom yells at us alot and I find it hard to respect her and so do my sibs. She has no clue how hard she made it for us kids growing up. I am currently the oldest liveing at home right now and have to model what respect looks like for my younger sisters (13+11) even though I don’t know exactly what respect looks like. With Jesus help I get through each day. All of my siblings are strong followers of God and only He is the one who is our true example.
Author
Hi Faith!
I’m sorry you’re having a difficult time with your mom. Sometimes it helps just to know someone “gets it,” doesn’t it? Parents can be just as challenging for kids as kids are for parents, only when it’s the parents who are misbehaving it’s so confusing for the kids (I know that from someone unpleasant “cluelessness” on the part of one of my parent)!
Hang in there–which it sounds like you are going. 🙂 Learn what good parenting is like but instead of letting that turn into more resentment toward your mom, CHOOSE to be respectful (to the best of your knowledge and ability) even when she’s not doing quite as she should. I pray she learns more of the patience and tenderness of Christ while you are still at home.
Christina @ Keeping Home
If you want your children to respect you when they are older, it is important to show them respect now. If you do not, they will see it as a green light for them to treat you as they please. This is how it goes with kids, and children are very smart, so be very careful how you handle this situation.
Author
That’s a good point!