Training up your children.

To start, I am NOT an expert. I know that by faith and obedience, God will give us all we need us to train up our kids. I also know, without a doubt, is that it is OUR JOB as parents to train up our children to know Christ. It is our job to lay biblical foundations for them, no one else's job. Although my family is still learning, and will always be learning, I wanted to offer up what we have learned so far and what we continue to learn.

So, here is what we have implemented in our family:

Filtering and Limiting Screen Time Content:

Pay attention to the content. It can be so easy to throw on a kids show anticipating that it will be fine. When reality is that secular shows, even kids, are subtly (sometimes not so subtle) throwing in things that go against our Christian values.

Some great safe screentime options for kids:

-Superbook (Youtube)

-Trash Truck (Netflix)

-Bible Adventures (Youtube)

-Danny Go (Youtube)

-Art for kids hub (Youtube)

-Minno kids (App)

-Listener Kids (Youtube)

Trust the Holy Spirit to give you discernment in this area. The options above aren't the only things my kids watch. But I know they're safe options when needed. Use discernment and trust your personal convictions.

Bring your child into what YOU are doing.

Including your child in the things you do to deepen your relationship with Christ, I have found to be HUGE. How this works will be different for everyone, but just be inclusive with your child. Pray in front of them, tell them that you love Jesus and need Jesus every day. Let them see you reading your bible. Your quiet time may not look Instagram perfect when you do it with your kids, but it will be more meaningful and impactful.

Bringing them into what you're doing is so key. Overtime, the more my son saw me reading my bible, he would begin to go and get his bible and "read" it next to me. When I would be praying on my own, he would begin to come running over to me and grabbing my hands to join me in prayer. They want to do what you're doing, so be open with them.

Show your children you need Jesus too

As our kids get older, especially my son, and they see us make mistakes, how we react is so much more impactful. When I respond out of anger I will then later go back and apologize and explain how I make mistakes and I'm still learning and need Jesus to help me. I never want my children to see me and think that I have it all together. I want them to see my failures, my downfalls and my mistakes. And even more I want them to see how I repent, apologize and lean on Jesus in all those moments. If we hide those things from our kids, we aren't showing them the gospel.

Find a church to call home.

There are many reasons that going to church is vital for our own maturity and growth with Christ. But having a church will help support in training up your children, and we need that support from other Christians. God created us to be relational, and we need the body of Christ to get through this life together. Yes, it is absolutely OUR job to prepare and train our children up. We must set the tone and draw the line in our homes. But we cannot and should not do it alone. This is why we have the body of Christ.

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There are unlimited resources out there if you're seeking extra information, but the first place we as parents must turn to is God and our personal relationship with Him. We ourselves must be seeking the Kingdom and filling our hearts and minds with the word of God in order to intentionally train up our children. Seek God and His will, keep your eyes fixed on the Kingdom and He will prepare the way for you and your family.

I hope this helps you, feel free to comment or email with anything!

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"Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in training and instruction of the Lord."

Ephesians 6: 4 NIV

I HIGHLY encourage you to also read Ephesians 5:21-33 on "Instructions for Christian Households"