BY MAGRETH RUZVIDZO- Parenting is one of the complex concepts in life that must be mastered by everyone who wishes to start a family. This concept should be well understood before marriage so as to avoid inconveniences. Most people are blessed with children but they lack skills on how to raise those children. Parenting in a Godly way starts at an early stage, that is, at conception. This topic is so wide that I cant exhaust all the concepts on parenting. I will just focus on a few for now and I will also link with bible verses so that we all understand how God wants us to raise our children.
Firstly, a conducive environment should be created for the child from the conception stage. The foetus can sense the environment and understand everything being taught. Teach your child what you want him to do when born and this is where bond between the child and parents starts to be created. You can sing songs, do bible verses or whisper motivational words to your unborn baby. Those are some of the things the child can easily hear and remember when he is born. It also becomes easy for baby sitting since you’ll be knowing the routine to follow.
When the environment is harsh, the child can sense that and all that violence is encoded in the foetus veins. Those become his default settings character wise and you can’t undo that! No wonder some children are born violent. I still remember one of my church elders saying “Some of you are going to create disaster in society through your offsprings,” and I felt that. If we look at the story of Hannah in 1 Samuel 1:2- 2:21, we can see that Hannah prayed for Samuel for so many years before he was conceived. Hannah did not depart from the temple of God and when Samuel was born, she dedicated him to the Lord. Likewise, we must always pray to God and dedicate our children to the Lord. Remember that our children make the society and once a society is filled with violent people it becomes inhabitable. Those who understand this concept of parenting remain prayerful for the rest of their lives.
Also, when a child makes a mistake don’t hesitate to punish. Proverbs 13 verse 24 indicates that don’t spare a rod on your child as it is a way of discipline. Besides that, you might also deprive your child from something he/she likes. I have got one of my cousin brothers who like cerevita so much. So each time he makes a mistake and you say, “So today there is no cerevita,” he then quickly behaves. Know what your child loves so much and take that from him/her each time they make a mistake. Above all, do it with love so that it won’t create a gap between the two of you.
Know what interests your child and cultivate that talent. Identify your child’s talent at an early stage. Some like gardening, cooking, music, video gaming and so on. Instead of condemning them and always telling them to focus on school work, nurture that talent! I like the Jewish culture when it comes to identifying their children’ s interests at an early stage. A child can start a trade at the age of 12 and by so doing, the talent of the child is developed at an early stage. The moment they get in their twenties they will be already having direction on what they want to do in life. They will be having skills on how to earn and spend!
Teach your children to be hardworking. Even if you can afford a maid but always make sure that your children can work for themselves. It might be laundry, cooking, cleaning the house, dishwashing-all those chores must be taught. It also helps the child to be independent and not always rely on the help of others. When it comes to the issue of hard work, I like the book of Proverbs as it is fully packed with verses that condemn laziness. I am going to pick Proverbs 24:33-34 which shows that if there is no sweat there is no sweet. Just a little sleep and a little folding of hands can bring poverty at your doorstep. Always train your child to be hard workers and show them proper principles that will help them to survive in life.
As I have mentioned earlier, this concept is challenging and it needs more prayer. Be prayerful and always remember to pray for your children first. And in whatever step you are taking in parenting, Let Love Lead!!!!