Am I raising horses or kids?

My son Jacob, who will be three in September, has a thing for horses. Last night while we were sitting together in the big livingroom chair and flipping through the channels we came across a horse show. The guy on TV was standing with a horse in the middle of a hockey rink like structure and talking to the people gathered in the stands. Apparently, the show was a taped instruction on how to teach and train a horse not to spook. The guy hosting the show was talking about training a horse through repeated action and the appropriate affirmation/correction.

It got me thinking about parenting. In raising my kids (I also have a one and a half year old daughter) I am in constant teaching and training mode. Sometimes it seems like every second of my life is a moment for instruction. The key for the me, which is the same as for the horse trainer, is to be consistent. My kids need to know that every time they act in a certain way there will be the same response. This is can be difficult when I am stressed, tired or distracted but it is absolutely critical.

Proverbs 22:6 says ” Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” One of the role God has given to me as a parent is to be a trainer. I am teaching my kids how to behave and how to act in this world. I am also training them how to glorify and obey their Heavenly Father. This is a great responsibility and one that I cherish.

Keep up the hard work guys. Proverbs 14:23