Target Practice!

When it comes to parenting, being intentional is vital.  No parent wants their child to grow up to be a criminal or to fail at relationships, or to be unsuccessful with finances.  I think we all envision our children being well rounded adults who work hard and live an honorable and Godly life.  We have a target of what we want our children to be, but we may not be intentional at actually aiming at that target! Without aim, the target is more likely to be missed. If your target as a parent is to guide your child to be a successful adult similar to the description above, what are some specifics you can do to help your aim at that target? 

1. Live a lifestyle that you want your children to model. It is true that actions speak louder than words!
2. Know what values you want to instill into your children, attach them to scripture, and then start teaching them to your children at an early age. If kindness is one of your values, point out that the Bible says "Be ye kind one to another."  Teach your two year old that kindness is saying 'Thank you" or
"Please."   To your eight year old, kindness may mean not making fun of another person with words or actions.
3. Create safe opportunities for your children to make choices and to live with the consequences of those  choices, whether positive or negative.  Similarly, when your children makes a choice as a part of day to day living,  look for teachable moments to point out to them the positives and negatives of that choice.  The idea is to teach your child at a young age that our actions impact us.
4.  Set reasonable behavioural boundaries for your children and  stick to them.  God's Word has guidelines for us, our government has guidelines for us, organizations & schools have guidelines for us.  Your child will have to deal with boundaries all throughout life.  Let your home be a model of how to operate freely and safely within a boundary.  Children need the security a boundary can bring.  A child with no boundaris can feel frustrated, unsafe, and insecure. Boundaries protect; your child is valuable enough to protect.  Boundaries set limits; your child is too immature to see the beyond the moment.  Boundaries guide; your child needs guidance on how to handle their emotions.