The Spiritual Fitness ManualSample

Parenting – Part 1

By Joe White, President, Kanakuk Kamps 

You as a parent are living in the most challenging and rewarding years of your life imprinting your very nature upon the heart of your child. Raising great kids is worth whatever the sacrifice and whatever the cost. Prayerful and intentional dedication to success may revolutionize your current family priorities and practices, but it’s worth it. I pray that these life lessons that I have learned along with my wife, Debbie Jo, in parenting our four kids and working with tens of thousands of teens for the last 35 years will help you travel down this often bumpy, often tearful, often mysterious road of parenting kids and walking hand in hand with our Savior.

1. THE RELATIONSHIP IS EVERYTHING!

The greatest single parcel of advice I received when my kids were small was simply this, “The relationship is everything!” It’s the common denominator of everything good that happens in your home as you parent your children.

A great friendship is the basis for healthy communication, fruitful spiritual training, successful teaching and even effective discipline. The best kids I’ve ever met almost always have one song that their heart sings throughout their life, “My parents really love me! They are my very best friends.”

2. KIDS SPELL LOVE T-I-M-E

Quality moments come when quantity time is invested in the relationship with your kids. Perhaps “The One-Minute Manager” works in some professional fields, but it never works at home. When a child needs a hug, a “best friend,” a shoulder to cry on, a kernel of wisdom, a course correction, or clarity in moral boundaries, the parent who has seriously rearranged his/her priorities to include vast amounts of time invested in the relationship will be the first name on your kids “go-to” list. Though the challenges will be many along the way, quantity time will produce a quality friendship that will literally last for a lifetime.

3. OFFER EMPATHY, WARMTH AND AFFECTION

There is an amazing tenderness in the heart of a caring parent. God gave it to us. It is one of a parent’s most admirable qualities. Jesus put a picture window into God’s heart when He told the story of one lost sheep whose shepherd left the ninety-nine in the flock to find the one who had lost his way. There is so much tenderness in His voice.