Mistakes Parents Make, Part 3

From an FBCH Dad...

1) Allow them to choose not to go to church or youth, not an option, period! As long as they are under your roof or even supported by you during college they will attend church on Sundays. I believe that this will allow them to mature more, so they can make a decision to continue on their own, we hope.

2) Do not do family devotions or even pray together, God will always bless these no matter how unpolished.

3) Spare the rod of punishment, as they become older teens and spanking is no longer an option they are still (as all of us are) desperately wicked. They must have consequences for their negative actions as they will have them when they are adults and they are usually much more severe then.

4) Allow them to choose who they talk to or hang out with, without looking into who these individuals really are or what is deemed OK by their parents' standards.

5) Allow them to make up their own mind about what they believe is proper dress. Some of these fathers need to get some backbone as well as realize what they were thinking about at that age.

6) Allowed to watch TV that is not filtered or is in their bedrooms. Almost all programing has things that are contrary to the word of God.

7) Allowed to listen to music that the lyrics have not been screened for inappropriate content. Most parents would be shocked if they knew some of the garbage that their kid's are listening to.

9) Allow them the opportunity to be alone with someone of the opposite sex. (Never!)

8) Allow them to have little or no responsibility, wake them up, clean after them or no chores.

10) Do not eat dinner together as a family. WOW, how informative could that time be each day.

I should have numbered this one towards the top: Model to them how you love your spouse as Christ loved the church (remembering that it is a work in progress, that is never finished).