Proverbs 22:6
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Effective Character Training Starts With Me and You

Yes, I know… that’s a tough one. Yet, modeling the good character traits that we are teaching our children is vital for the lessons to really hit home. Children learn by watching and imitating… we all know that! But, it’s also the primary reason for us to be an example of good character that we (and God) desire to see in our children.

“Teach by example. Model what you desire. For our children to develop character and integrity, they must first see the integrity of our character.” - Chuck and Jenni Borsellino

I love that quote, they’ve got to see the integrity of OUR character. We often forget about the little eyes that are always watching. Yet, that model we set before them is our first line of teaching, and it’s what they’ll catch faster than any other lesson!

Beliefs Dictate Behavior

Of course, character comes from the heart and what we believe at our core will influence that. For example, if we believe that we are a failure, then we will fail. Teaching and training to our child’s heart is the first step. Why teach honesty? Because we believe that lying is wrong and it will bring about consequences that will affect lives.

Core beliefs are at the root of the character traits that we hope to teach our children. You might want to do a personal check up and ask yourself some hard questions. Do we have our core beliefs straight? Do we know what we believe? It might be a good time to do a personal inventory and ask God to give you wisdom in that area.

Remember Mercy

You might be saying Amen to everything I’ve said, but wondering what happens when the rubber meets the road. What happens when we as parents fall on our faces? (Because I have and I will - and you will too!) We acknowledge that we aren’t perfect, and that we make mistakes too. Yes, those little eyes are always watching us, and because of that it’s so very important that we acknowledge our failures and apologize. This lets them know that we don’t think we’re above the rules. It also keeps us from getting that “Do as I say, not as I do” mentality. These actions go far with our young one’s hearts, but they also model the relationship we have to our heavenly Father!v

Remember Phil. 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me.” We aren’t going to be perfect at this parenting thing, but we can and for our children - must determine to teach and train them!

with grace and joy,