Sometimes I Hate Teaching My Kids About the Bible

We try to incorporate Biblical instruction as we teach our kids morals and ethics in our home. We try to communicate basic principles like honesty, forgiveness, integrity, kindness, self-control, patience, optimism etc. But sometimes I hate teaching this stuff to them.

It means I have to do the hard work of actually modeling it for them (kids don’t really respond well to the whole ‘do as I say and not as I do’ thing).  And I especially don’t like it when they actually learn it. What did I just say?

The other day my 4-yr-old was doing something he shouldn’t. We warned him and reminded him that we would have to discipline him if he did it once more. With this he responded:

“The Bible says you have to give me lots of chances!”

Ouch! Already, he is learning how to justify. At the center of any good justification is a distortion of context and that’s what he was doing. So I had to explain the context of what the Bible says to him.

Although, what he said is true in certain contexts. Like when he hurts his brothers and there needs to be forgiveness. But when it comes to us as parents, we have to teach him consequences. And the rule in our house is simple: good behavior=good consequences and bad behavior=bad consequences.

It’s was still hard to totally explain the difference to him. I’m not even sure I always understand how God forgives us and spares us of some consequences and not others, even though I know it to be true.

It’s also scary to think how much better his arguments will become as he gets older. At least I am happy he’s learning something we are teaching him, even if he is using it to manipulate us…