The Dirty Dozen of Unbiblical Parenting Strategies:
- Permissiveness. Never telling your children No, Stop, or Don’t do that.
Biblical examples of passive parenting include Eli with his two wicked sons Hophni and Phineas who had turned the tabernacle into a place of theft and harlotry, and David who failed or struggled to exercise legitimate discipline with his adult sons Amnon, Absalom, and Adonijah.
- Antagonist. Every conversation or instruction becomes a battle.
- Positivist. Everything is directed toward building the child’s self-esteem.
- Behaviourist. External conformity is good enough.
- Distracted. A total lack of strategy due to parental busyness.
- Delegation. It’s the church or school or day care’s responsibility to raise them.
- Pharmaceutical. Drug them into manageability.
Confusion:
Many parents confuse the descriptions of behaviour provided by such labels with a diagnosis.
ADHD: What is actually the problem?
- inattention
- hyperactivity
- impulsivity
What does God say about the problem?
- unwillingness to listen to instruction
- lack of self-control
- self-indulgence
- Quality time. Bribe your kids with a few fun things amidst general neglect.
- Activity-driven parenting. The parents make sure their child is in—and has a leading role in—every club, concert, and contest available.
- Emergency. Take action only when things get really bad.
- Decibel discipline (i.e., yelling).
- Throw up your hands in despair.
Summary:
The Biblical antidote to the Dirty Dozen is God’s instruction to children and parents in Ephesians 6:1-4.