Future Family (5) – Our Way, A Way

Welcome to CROLCC, we are so glad you are here! We are nearing the end of our series Future Family and I have praying throughout that you will never ever give up on your family. No matter what your family dynamic is, remember to never lose sight of the ideal that God sets for us. Ask your family, what can I do to help? You will be surprised that even asking this one simply question would change how you treat each other. Be aware that every conflict in your family starts with a desire to get what you want, and if you own up to it, you may begin to make progress in terms of resolving conflict in your home.

Today we are going to talk about parenting. I remember wanting to be a father ever since I was in college. But what I didn’t realize was raising children is one of the biggest challenges in life. It requires all of our strengths and talents. And it makes us fully aware of our weaknesses. Yet ask any parent, they will tell you they will not trade their children for anything. I am going to tell you (almost) everything Winnie and I know about parenting. This isn’t everything there is to know, just what we know.

Changing Your Mind

Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.
Proverbs 22:6

Moving Forward

If you’re in the middle of the stressful years of parenting and you aren’t sure you’re going to survive, remember that someday this phase of life will come to an end . . . and when it does, you just might miss it.

Discussion Questions

1. What were the household rules when you were growing up? How have those rules influenced your current family life?

2. How are the ways that you discipline your children (or plan to discipline your children) similar to how you were disciplined as a child? How are they different?

3. Is it easier for you to communicate acceptance to members of your family with your words or with your time and schedule? Why?

4. What can you do now to create the story you want your children to tell about their years growing up? What can this group do to help you?