Are We Raising Children Or Adults?

Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.

-         Proverbs 22:6 (NIV)

Even though I did not grow up on a full fledge farm, I did live in farm country. My house was surrounded on two sides by corn fields. Spring and Fall were welcomed by the scent of manure being spread on fields. My brother raised a number of animals and livestock, including; but not limited to, chickens, guineas, ducks, geese, and pheasants. My sister owned a horse. I just watched where I stepped!

 When my brother was asked what birds he was raising, he never answered, “Chicks.” or “Ducklings.” To be sure, he usually had one or the other or both. However, he wasn’t raising a chick; he was raising a chicken. When you asked the neighboring farmer what he was currently growing in his field, he never answered, “Seedlings.” Or “Saplings.” The crop may have even been seedlings at the time, but he’d say he was raising corn or hay. A chick and a seedling are not the goals. The goal of the farming is a chicken or crop of some sort.

 The same is true with parenting. Although people say it all the time, we are NOT raising children. Parents are raising adults! Our mission is to prepare our children for adulthood; so that, when they “leave the nest,” they have become a fully developed man or woman physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. God gave us our kids not so we can keep our children happy. Nor is He ultimately concerned with your child’s achievements in sports, school, or social circles. He has given us children with the expectation that we will teach and guide them toward adulthood.

 Since this is our goal, do your parenting decisions line-up with this final product? Are you keeping your son happy or are you teaching him how to find joy even in the midst of trouble? Are you trying to solve all of your daughter’s problems instead of teaching her to rely on God and follow His leading? Do we cultivate a future adult who is patient, loving, confident, God-fearing, and Kingdom focused? I encourage you to evaluate your parenting in order to achieve God’s desired goal in your child.