me orders. You may make requests, but you cannot give me orders
because God has made me the authority over you.”
(^) Do not wait for this training until your children are teenagers. If
you do, you will suffer the indignity of their disrespect. Deal with this
in the first several years. Respectful teenagers are developed when
they are 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5, not at 13, 14, 15, or 16. (If you find yourself
confronted with disrespectful teens, get these concepts under your
belt and talk with them about how you should have raised them.)
(^) I observed a recent conversation:
(^) Parent: “Dear, I want you to sit down now.”
(^) Child: [With an impudent grin] “Why?”
(^) Parent: “I think that you need to slow down a little.”
(^) Child: [Same grin, a little taunting] Why?
(^) Parent: “Because ... ”
(^)
(^) Child: “Why?”
(^) Parent: “Because ...”
(^)
(^) Child: “Why?”
(^) Parent: “Because ... ”
(^)
(^) Child: “Why?”
(^) After a few minutes, the mother of this child turned toward me in
explanation. “Sometimes I just can’t get him to be serious.”
(^) This lad was being serious. He knew that his mother wanted
cooperation. He was not about to submit to her. Things could not have
been more serious.
(^) A parent who is respectful to his children and teaches them with
dignity and respect will be respected by his children. You may not
yell at your children. You do not make them your slaves. Suffering
indignities from you cannot be a part of submission to authority.