If we are teaching our children to be followers of Jesus, we must teach and encourage them to help others! Children naturally love to help, yet we often get so involved in what we need to accomplish as parents that we forget to include our children when we are serving. We can give them age-appropriate opportunities, and we can model what it looks like to help others, so they can learn to show God’s love by meeting people’s physical, monetary, emotional, and spiritual needs.

I am sure we have all experienced the scene of an enraged toddler pounding his fists, stomping his feet, and screaming in the middle of the store isle, “I WANT THAT TOY!” Everyone goes about their business pretending like they don’t notice the racket and trying not to cover their ears and make a mad dash for the door. 

When my kids were very young, I had a hard time not losing my patience with them on a daily basis.  I love kids, but I just expected my kids to- well, be perfect, and perfect, they weren’t!  Of course they were growing and maturing, but it felt like such a slow process when they were in the middle of it and still so young.   When they went against my rules, the anger would sometimes get the best of me, and I would think, “How DARE those kids disrespect me like that?!”

I recently read the book, Why Can’t I Get My Kids to Behave, by Joey and Carla Link of Parenting Made Practical, and I love how they not only explain the importance of teaching children to obey but also the practical side of how to do it! The Links get to the heart of obedience and provide practical tools to help train your kids that are easy to understand and implement.

Last month I had an opportunity to interview Joey and Carla Link from Parenting Made Practical, and in “part two” of our interview, they share some practical tips and resources for teaching our kids to obey.  Moms that find themselves parenting through difficult circumstances will be encouraged that, while it may not be easy, teaching  your children to obey is possible!

The month of Thanksgiving is the perfect time to cultivate a heart of thankfulness in our children.  With the remembrance of the pilgrims and how God helped them through their trials, we can appreciate how much God has blessed us and thank Him for all He has done in our lives too!