LifeGroup Questions: Applying the Teaching to Our Lives
- Do you have any great stories of either your parenting exploits or those of your parents? Share them with your group.
- In what ways have you tried to echo your parents’ way of parenting and in what ways have you tried to parent differently?
- Look back on your childhood; did your parents customize their parenting based on stages in your life? Explain.
- What happens if parents do not intentionalize their training of their kids?
- Proverbs 22:6 is a proverb, not a promise, a generalized observation not a guaranteed outcome. What difference does it make?
- What happens if you try to parent a 13 year old like a 3 year old? Or vice versa?
- Looking at the 5 stages of parenting in point 4, how is our parenting of our kids similar to God’s parenting of us?
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“How to be a Great Parent”
Proverbs 22:6
1. Great parents realize they are training their kids.
- Training by default
- Training on purpose
- Training in God’s grace
2. Great parents prioritize being students of their kids.
- Learn their “way”: tendencies, patterns, personality
3. Great parents customize the training of their kids.
- Different stages require different skills
4. Great parents optimize the stages of their kids.
- Nurturing Trainer (0-1) Nurture them to trust.
- Directive Trainer (1-5) Teach them to obey.
- Encouraging Trainer (5-12) Encourage them to learn.
- Supportive Coach (12-17) Release them to decide.
- Caring Consultant (18+) Help them to discern.
5. Great parents recognize they need God’s help to train their kids.
- Great parents pray for their kids.
Core CHRISTlike Characteristic: Relates with Other-Centered Love/Loving People
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