Children need four vitamins to grow up emotionally and spiritually healthy - vitamins A, B, C, and D.
Vitamin A – Acceptance.
Accept your kids for how God created them.
Not every boy is going to be a great football player. Mine will. But not everyone's boy will be a great athlete. If your kid’s thing is piano, encourage him in that.
Not every girl is going to be a cheerleader or a ballerina. If their thing is art, encourage her in that.
I’ve got four kids. They are all very different. I love them the same, but I must accept them for who they are and treat them differently because God created them differently.
Every child is different. God made them just the way he wanted them to be. The first vitamin your children need from you is vitamin A – accept them for how God created them.
Vitamin B – Boundaries.
Your kids need you to clearly teach them the boundaries of what is acceptable and right.
Kids aren't born with moral compass. They need to be taught what is to be expected of them. Teach them the boundaries of Scripture of what it means to live a Godly life.
Vitamin C – Competence, not confidence.
Teach your children to be polite. Teach your children to excel. Help them to discover their gifts.
When you help your children to become competent, their competence will build up their confidence.
Vitamin D – Discipline.
Discipline your children for disobedience and not mistakes. There is a great deal of difference between a mistake and disobedience. Disobedience requires immediate attention and action. You cannot let disobedience go unpunished. Outright rejection of your authority must be dealt with and the child must learn to obey you. If they do not learn obedience at home, how will they ever learn to obey God?
But kids, being kids, make mistakes. That’s what kids do. Don’t punish them for mistakes.
Know the difference between disobedience and an honest mistake.
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