Parenting by Design - January 1

Building a "House"

Proverbs 14:1 The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down (NIV).

Our actions and words have the ability to build up or tear down. Think about how you communicate with your kids. Do you find yourself saying no a lot more than you say yes? When we habitually say no, we inadvertently tear down our kids' sense of confidence and capability. So often, we think our no is protecting our kids when we are really just protecting our desire for control.     

"No" is the easy answer, but as long as you can do it with integrity, try to say yes to your kids as much as possible. "Yes" sends a message of confidence and encouragement that our kids are desperately seeking. It's true that saying yes will take more time and energy, but yes is a faith answer because it requires you to trust the Lord. You may be surprised to find that the more you say yes, the more your kids will be willing to accept your no.

Build your "house" by being confident and encouraging.