Interactive Parenting At Its Best

This picture was taken several years ago, when my children were much younger, and frankly, so was my husband. After dinner wrestling matches were common, usually initiated when one of the older boys dared to show my husband up in both strength and cunning, only to find himself in a serious headlock or crying ‘uncle’ when he found his arm commandeered behind his back.

Because the children love to play with their dad - and because it was incumbent upon them to try to knock him off his hill - the one-on-one wrestling match would quickly deteriorate into a free for all that moved from room to room, ending only when energy gave out (usually dad’s) or nobody could wrestle for how hard they were laughing. If you can figure out which arms and legs belong to which person in the picture, you’re doing well.

Using this tangle of bodies and fun as an analogy, this is the degree to which God wants us involved with teaching our children about Him. He wants us pitched in the middle of it, actively engaging our children in discussion, stories and training in righteousness. He wants us to be up to our elbows and eyeballs in sharing His Word.

How do we know this? Read Deuteronomy 6:7. After God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses, He instructed him to teach the following to the Israelites: “Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” This is interactive parenting at its best. Coming and going, from sunrise to sunset, we’re to be teaching our children about God and his truths.

It also doesn’t leave any question about who is responsible for the teaching. Unless our child’s pastor, Sunday school teacher or youth leader is rooming with our youngster, the impressing part comes from us. Otherwise, Moses would be telling the Israelites, “Forget everything you’ve heard prior to this. Throw your lot to the world and hope for the best. Good luck.”

Thus we have the first reason for teaching our children from the Bible: It’s our job to do so. More on this tomorrow.