The importance of intentionality

Reb Bradley wrote, "....surrounding our kids with Christian influences is certainly good (Christian music, Sunday school, youth groups, etc.) but it is no substitute for "training." Training is a conscious, active effort of instruction, discipline and modeling, and not a bi-product of a good environment or a loving home. Consider that no wild horse was ever broken or trained by being grouped together with trained horses."

This quote is a great example of why we as parents and teachers need to be intentional in training our kids. Notice that Reb Bradley was specific to point out training and not teaching. Teaching can be passive, one dimentional and, sometimes, it can focus more on the information being given instead of the focus being on the person.

Training, however, is active. It requires the child to not just know what to do, but to put into practice what they know. The best way to learn something is to do it. For example, if you want your child to be reverent, the way you train them is by giving them opportunities to be reverent. Training also allows for dialogue. The child needs to have the opportunity to ask questions and have them answered. Training also focuses on the understanding of the information rather than the content alone. Training allows kids to face real life situations and conflict. When faced with it, parents should use this time to teach their kids to think critically and problem solve. This allows them to experience a potentially tough situation in a safe environment before encountering it later in life without your guidance. Lastly, training has a long-term perspective with clear goals. When training our kids, we need to be sure the decisions we are making regarding our kids is in line with the goals we are striving for. If your decisions are not conducive with the overall goals, I would challenge you to rethink that particular decision.

I encourage you all, to sit down with your spouse (or alone if you are single), and develop a plan with a long term perspective. This is a great way for you to be intentional and accountable for training your kids in all areas of their life. This is important, whether your child is in kindergarten or eighth grade. Realize, it is never too late to start!