by Morgan Young, staff writer

april 27
We all make mistakes - even parents. We lose our tempers, get frustrated, jump to conclusions, and sometimes get too caught up in our own events of the day. But what are the biggest mistakes that today's parents could avoid? Does the Bible have anything to say on the subject? These questions and more will be answered on April 27th, 10am, at Oakbrook Church.

Listen to this message (mp3)
Transcript of this message (pdf)

Morgan's Links:
5 core steps to good parenting
Worst mistakes of single parents
Bible verses for parents
Do as I say not so as I do
Top 5 mistakes bright parents make
Tiny Tyrants

Tips from a local Christian Counselor:
Don't quit --- whether it is a child or adolescent --- he/she needs you and he/she has been delegated to you from God --- don't throw up your arms and walk away and out of his/her life.

Don't stay rigid ---- remember your approach to adolescence is not the same as it was in childhood; grow as a parent --- learn new ideas and change tactics as the need arises.

Don't parent alone --- if at all possible create a united front with your spouse--- depend on him/her to make decisions.

Don't wait for them to come to you --- pursue them with wild abandon--- your time with children and teens flies away in what seems like a blink of an eye --- besides tomorrow is not guaranteed --- so if you died tomorrow --- what do you wish you had done?

Top 5 Mistakes From a 30+ year local school teacher:
1. Too much shelter. Kids, like all of us, can learn from their mistakes. By accepting the consequence for the mistake they can then process how to avoid similar situations. Today's parents commonly run interference for their kids. While they may need to advocate occasionally, they prevent kids from learning from their mistakes.
 
2. Too much "trust." "I trust my kids."  "I don't need to check because I trust my kids."  From the journals that I read, there are plenty of scary things going on out there and while one may think he can trust HIS kids, HIS kids run with other kids.
  
3. Failure to set reasonable limits and follow through if/when challenged or disobedient. 
 
4. Failure to keep in touch. Regular meals, talks, checking on them so that you can intuitively sense when something is amiss; when it's time to loosen the screws; when you've been wrong etc.

©2008 Oakbrook Community Church | 3409 S 200 W Kokomo, IN 46902

FamilyMap.Info is a teaching series presented by Oakbrook Church to help parents.
It is not a real magazine and there are no subscriptions available.
The series runs from April 27th 2008 through June 1 2008.