6 Practical Principles For Parents

Homeschool planning and documenting is a joy for me as a teacher. I tend to focus a lot of my time on creating checklists and developing new rules. It’s gratifying when they obey a rule or I check off a task.

Yet, for spiritual development, rules and checklists must be short-term to developing habits only. The long-term goal is teaching my children to grow spiritually using principles.

Homeschooling blesses us with an incredible opportunity to teach spiritual goals established in the Bible.

Rules are easy to find loopholes. Kids learn to bend the rules quickly, don’t they?!! You’ve heard the saying “Rules are meant to be broken!”

However, principles are rock solid. For example, let’s say I give my daughter a box of chocolates and tell her “share with your brother.” She counts the pieces of chocolate and gives less to her brother. Did she obey my rule? Yes. Did she follow the principle of being fair? No.

A preacher named Adrian Rogers had a wonderful message that spoke to my heart, and I wanted to share it with you. He talked about the 6 Practical Principles for Parents that can be applied to everyday situations.

In the New Testament, Paul talks about many of these principles we should live by. Take a look at I Corinthians 6:12. They can be applied as a litmus test for right vs. wrong decisions.

6 Practical Principles for Parents

1. Expediency – Expediency means taking another step towards your goal. Do you have spiritual goals you are trying to obtain? My spiritual goal for 2018 is getting closer to God. When I speak to my children, is it expedient? Is my response to my husband closer to my spiritual goal of pleasing the Lord?

2. Enslavement – Are my actions enslaving me from doing the right thing? Are devices, doubts, and distractions keeping me from these godly principles? I have discovered that my Smartphone is a wonderful tool for all aspects of life. But, I had become a slave to it with every noise it made. Because of this, I turn it off during homeschool hours. In addition, I have permanently left the ringer off and only turn it on when I’m away from my kids.

3. Example – Am I a stumbling block for my sisters/brothers in Christ? I may have the freedom to drink a glass of wine, but will it be a stumbling block for my children? If a church member sees me having a drink, will it cause her to think getting drunk is okay? In Romans 14:13, we are to judge ourselves more harshly than we do others.

4. Edification – Edifice is a building, so edification’s definition is to build one up. Let’s build up one another, not tear each other down. How can we minister unto others? Anyone who pulls you down does not truly love you like they should. Anything that is not building you up, including entertainment, should be eliminated.

5. Exaltation – Exalt means to glorify, to elevate by praise. Does my business, entertainment or appearance/dress bring honor to the Lord or to myself?

6. Evangelism – The definition of evangelism is spreading the gospel, publicly or privately. What’s distracting me from bringing others to Christ? With each encounter, am I encouraging my friends to draw closer to Christ?

Final Thoughts

Do you see how these principles can help you make wiser decisions? Are there areas you would like to work on? For me, these 6 principles are convicting. I need to be an example first to everyone I encounter, including my family.

As we continue to teach godly ways, remember the 6 practical principles for parenting and apply them wisely. We must also remember “freedom from the law” doesn’t mean we do what we please. This is where ministering unto others comes into play. We must work on being an example to others. Are you a godly example using these principles?

Natalie Fullmer is married with two children. After leaving her IT career in the healthcare industry, she decided to stay home full-time and homeschool both children. In the early days, she used boxed curriculum but has now adopted a Charlotte Mason & Eclectic-type style the last few years. She works part-time as a Virtual Assistant and teaches English to Chinese children. Natalie is also a proud member of Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). Besides homeschooling, her passions include raising animals on her mini farm, reading non-fiction, gardening, learning the latest tech, and sharing her minimalist approach with other homeschool moms on her blog at http://contentwithsimple.com. Favorite bible verse for encouragement is Philippians 4:13.