I have always known that parents occupy, for the good or the bad, an important place in the lives of their children. Over time, I learned that new parents tend to borrow their parenting styles from what they have seen, first in their homes then through their communities and not to forget popular culture and religious practices. These are all resources that tend to shape first, how the parent sees himself/herself, then the magnitude of impact the parent believes he/she can have on their children.

As a new parent, having seen and been influenced by the “Ivorian/African/African-American” cultures since my upbringing, I tended to replicate what I saw and learned. However, as I began my sincere walk with Jesus Christ, I learned that there is one culture which transcends and lands its practitioners into excellence at all levels; and that is the Christo-centric culture, the Biblical perspective, the Jesus Christ tradition. Once this viewpoint is first understood, accepted, and applied, life as a parent becomes a blessing, as we fathers and mothers see ourselves as vessels that can be used by God to shape and influence our children to reach their full potential as they realize their God-given dreams and aspirations.

Train Up a Child, Successful Parenting for the Next Generation, written by Dr. Daniel L. Switzer, gives parents a roadmap to educate divinely, responsibly, and successfully nurture and train those entrusted to us by God, our children. Remembering that our children are God’s invitation to us to participate in the extension of His kingdom building, our role as parents becomes less burdensome and even more pleasant when we attach ourselves to His constitution, the Bible. Below are ten quotes extracted from Train Up a Child, take them as appetizers before you engage with the main dish, reading Train Up a Child, followed with the perfect dessert and frequent application of its principles, reading your bibles.

1. “God created the parent-child relationship to reflect a relational love that exists within God himself.” (Foreword)

2. “They [our children] need to be continually challenged to draw near to Yeshua. This relationship with him is cultivated through prayer, Scripture reading, worship, and exercising faith as they grow in their consciousness of the Lord’s presence in their lives. (XV)

3. “Our children need to know their Creator and understand how he created them to live, for this will prepare them to raise up the next generation for the Lord.” (5)

4. “The best thing we can do for our children is to live biblically. It is critical that we not make our faith a show for others to see. Children and teens can see right through parental hypocrisy.” (17)

5. “Children need boundaries and find security within limits.” (64)

6. “All children have their issues. With some children, the issues are obvious; with others, the issues are more hidden.” (83)

7. “Second, our children should receive ‘focused attention’ daily. Instead of giving partial attention while watching television, we need to stop what we are doing, listen to our child, and give our full attention. Third, we need to establish ‘eye contact’ with our children when talking together.” (90)

8. “Our children have an intrinsic desire to please us.” (119)

9. “When our young people respect us, we can teach them to fear God and hate evil.” (138)

10. “We should encourage our children to take whatever gifts God has given them and use them to serve others.” (150)

Thank you.