I'm about to share a very valuable resource for my family. And it is completely, totally FREE.
Before we began home school, we used this as a discipline tool when he had really pushed his limits. Let's face it as parent's you can't always ground, take away, and time out your children.
It gets old and they stop caring.
Plus where is the value of learning in those lessons? When you really think about it, that falls in line more with bribery than teaching them the value of your rules, respecting authority, or any of the things you want them to learn.
Now that we home school, we have incorporated these into one or two monthly class sessions because I really wanted him to finish up this project.
Any parent can use this! Not just the home school parent.
Is your child being disrespectful? Resenting your authority? Disobeying? Acting out? Getting in trouble?
If you are a Christian and want to pass on religious values to your children, read some of these and see if they can't be used to make a difference in your home as well.
I think they are very nicely worded and teach children a lot.
Instead of just taking away the games until they clean their room, come home from playing on time, or obey the rules why not hand them one of these lessons and their bible so they can understand where you are coming from and why?
It has made a difference in our house before home school. We started with lesson one. I also think the lessons contain excellent value for the tweens and young teens in our life to really grasp early.
There are so many books and resources that focus on teaching our young children the basics: Be Kind, Be Forgiving, Be Loving, Don't Steal. There aren't that many for our older children and this series fills in the gap.
Here is the link to download and print your lessons:
http://www.middletownbiblechurch.org/relation/relation.htm
But here is a list of topics they cover:
1. Why Parents - This explains and covers why God made parents and what our intended role is to be.
2. Why Parents Are Not - This is a little tougher for mom and dad because this explains why we sometimes do make mistakes. It's a great parent that realizes, hey, I mess up sometimes. But this lesson does a good job of explaining all of the pressures and stresses put on parents in today's world. It also explains to the child who may be raised in church while mom and dad are not believers how to appropriately set an example.
I love this lesson because at the end it tells children even IF they think mom and dad are wrong, they need to be the ones to lead the spiritual life and lead by example and do what they are supposed to do.
3. Parents - Why and Why Not - This asks them questions. That's all it does and gives them scriptures to look up or use when answering some of them. It really encourages them to think and respond. It gives you a door of opportunity to talk with them. It addresses discipline and it addresses spanking, it does not condemn or approve, it asks and gives you as a parent the opportunity to really talk to your child. It's an excellent resource.
4. Why Am I Here (Where do Children Fit In?) - Explains God's purpose for them as individuals and also guides them in how to make good choices and help guide their parents. Yes, sometimes we need to be taught things like how to let go of our children when the time comes.
5. Who is Responsible? (Who Me? Yes You!) - I love this lesson. It teaches them exactly what responsibility is and makes them think about who is responsible for problems. Such as failing a test. Is it the teacher's fault? The parent's? Or the child who didn't study and went out to play?
6. Learning to Like the Limits - Another great lesson this one puts emphasis on why parent's have rules and set limits.
7. Do's and Dont's - An expansion of the limits lesson this one delves into the bible very heavily and expects them to look up and read scriptures and fill out some of God's do's and do not's.
8. Convicted? Of course & Conviction Of Course - This deals with learning how to react to the rules or limits placed on us. It talks about obeying God's rules and our parent's rules. It really explores the attitude of the child within the rules and encourages them to behave appropriately.
9. Relationships for Real and For Right - This explores making and keeping the right kind of friendships. The kind of friendships and relationships that God wants us to make. That encourage us to do the right thing and be honorable. A very important lesson in my opinion at an age where peer pressure is going to be at an all time high in their lives.
10. Don't Confuse the Process with the Product - A lesson that reminds them they are in process and are not a finished product. Not to judge themselves because God is still working on them and molding them into the individual they will become.
11. Am I Ready to Go Down the Road with Delight - Again this deals with attitudes as they go through the process of growing up. Great lesson.
12. Nobody Hears Me and I Hear Nobody - Encourages them to lean on God and other Christians as they go through the process of growing up.
I especially encourage parents with behavioral issues to give these lessons a go. My son was diagnosed very early in life with Oppositional Defiant Disorder. At a certain age talking with him was our best tool. These lessons encourage him to grow and give me things to talk to him about and really have opened up a door for us. I am very pleased with the results and I encourage any parent who is at their wit's end from dealing with defiance, stubborn behaviors, or even tantrums to give these a try. They put the ball in your child's court and really give them a chance to learn and see their behavior in a new light too.
