LifeGroup Questions: Applying the Teaching to Our Life
- Have you ever entered into training for a sport or your job or something else? What parallels do you see between that training and parental training?
- What are some of the more popular goals people have for their kids? Once you have heard a few responses, then evaluate: in what ways are they adequate or inadequate goals?
- If you are a seasoned parent in your group, what do you think is the most helpful advice you could pass along to younger parents?
- If all of your children have left home, look back on your parenting days: which stage of parenting did you find most difficult? Which did you find most enjoyable?
- If you have kids at home right now, what are some of the goals you have for them that you are working towards?
- End your group time by praying for each other and some of the goals or challenges that have been mentioned.
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“Growing in Wisdom as a Parent”
Proverbs 24:3 & 22:6
1. Wise parents understand the power of training.
What gets rewarded gets repeated
What gets repeated gets embedded
2. Wise parents have goals for each stage of parenting.
Nurturing Trainer (0-1)
Primary goals: Helping them feel loved and secure; learn to trust.
Primary skills: Attentive observation, showing love and affection, meeting
needs, creating a schedule, wisdom.
Directive Trainer (1-5)
Primary goals: Helping them feel loved; learn to listen and obey.
Know God loves them.
Primary skills: Attentive observation, showing love and affection, patient
instruction, positive reinforcement, loving discipline, wisdom.
Encouraging Trainer (5-12)
Primary goals: Helping them feel loved; begin to learn to make wise decisions.
Learn God’s character.
Primary skills: Attentive observation, showing love and affection, positive
reinforcement, delegation, letting them fail, loving discipline, wisdom.
Supportive Coach (12-17)
Primary goals: Helping them feel accepted, keeping communication open,
choosing healthy friends, making wise decisions, pursue God’s
purpose for their life.
Primary skills: Attentive observation, showing love and affection, positive
reinforcement, delegation, letting them fail, loving discipline, letting go,
communication, wisdom.
Caring Consultant (18+)
Primary goals: Help them feel supported, help them to discern.
Primary skills: Letting go, showing love and affection, wisdom.
3. Wise parents have a clear overall goal in their training.
The goal of parental training: To help your kids become like Christ
Core CHRISTlike Characteristic: Relates with Other-Centered Love/Loving People
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