Parental Guidance

Today, you find many parents complaining that their children have deserted their church for another -or worse still, the children stop going to the church.
They start justifying their actions that they have trained them well, going to the church with them, gathering them for joint prayers at home, and studying the bible with them and so on. These excuses really sound tenable aren’t they? I don’t know any child who is properly instructed and who finds the parents living what they preach and will now say that the faith of the parents is worthless! Often times, the children follow the parents to the church because they are still under their instruction and will need the parents’ assistance (especially financial assistance).
Once they get to the level when they can sustain themselves or they found someone who can make them courageous in their decision making, they back out from such faith simply because, they have been practicing the faith Without conviction or say without interior dispositions.

Many parents could not stand this kind of behavior or call it rebellion from their children and so they try to impose all forms of punishments; denying such child certain essentials just in the name of making the child yield to their directions.
Yes, that may help but often times; it turns the child to be first class hypocrite; doing one thing when the parents are around and another entirely different or contrary thing when the parents are not there, this is not a good sign in a happy family.

In most cases, you even find the parents sharing different ideas about such rebellious drive in their children especially when one of the parents is trying to over-protect or over pamper the child who will erroneously see such parent as the one who loves him/ her. Where there is no one voice in marriage, there could be serious danger.

In as much as you need to train your children in the way of the Lord, you at the same time should know that they must-be given certain freedom. You are not helping them hiding them in the house twenty hours a day or saying that no male friend should come to visit your daughters or female friends coming to look for your sons. If you keep doing this, what happens if they get to school?
A funny story is often told of the man who never gives his only daughter any chance to go out alone or come home alone. He would always tell the driver to take the girl to school and as soon as the school is over, the driver is waiting. He so much love this daughter of his that he never wanted any affair or relationship between her and any other person; not even her fellow girls.
The man was surprised to find out that the daughter was pregnant,when he asked the daughter who impregnated her -the girl insisted that it was the Holy Spirit. That was the most stupid thing that would happen! The man thought. But then the girl was very Serious with what she was saying. At a point she asked the father, "Am i not holy enough to be the mother of the new Jesus? " The Father just wished that he was dreaming,but that was not a dream!

Anyway, you need to see What Your sons and daughters are doing in colleges and universities even in high schools; you may not be able shut your mouth.
Most of them are not what you think they are. I know many parents trust their children that if they are told that any of their children is misbehavinat they would like to swear by heaven and earth because they never know that the child only pretends at home, Let them be free; let them be their real self so that you can know how best to educate them about the reality of the world.

Your strict-cover is not the best solution -Live your life as perfect husband and wife and see if they would not like to be like you and to follow your instructions.
You are highly responsible to what happens to the children.