As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
“modern parents seem to be having an especially hard time. The U.S. surgeon general recently released an advisory warning that parental stress is a significant public health concern as 4 in 10 parents say that most days they feel so stressed they can’t function.” - TGC
Related:
“When I finished speaking, a long line of people formed to ask questions…. they all asked me versions of the same exact question: ‘How do I get my kids to look away from their phone and engage?’” - Word by Word
“Every child is different, and no one knows the unique temperaments and proclivities of individual children better than their parents do. We need to create space for conscientious parents to prayerfully make decisions about what’s best for their own families.” - CPost
“ ‘Parents Under Pressure’ attempts to address the mental health and well-being of moms and dads. The 35-page document acknowledges and elaborates on many of the challenges facing the typical American family—and then suggests what individuals and government institutions can do to help reduce the burden.” - Daily Citizen
“In light of his recent book Wayward Children: Finding Peace, Keeping Hope, Stuart Scott, BJU Seminary professor of biblical counseling, spoke about the topic on the Truth in Love podcast, a resource from the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC).” - BJU Seminary
“57% of young adults raised in two-parent households report that they could rely on both their mother and father for help with a personal problem, while only 40% percent of Americans aged 50 or older report the same.” - IFS
First posted at Sharper Iron on July 24, 2009. Larry Blumer, the “Dad” in this essay, went to be with the Lord August 17, 2011.
An old adage says that when you’re sixteen your dad doesn’t know anything, when you’re twenty-six he’s occasionally sensible, and when you’re thirty-six he’s one of the wisest people you know. I can testify that there is some truth in that observation. Though I still rarely seek my dad’s advice, it’s because—at age forty-three—I have come to realize how much of his advice I’ve already absorbed from growing up around him.
Our Savior bought us with His own blood in order to redeem us and remake us in His image. That transformation is central to His great gospel purpose. In my life, He used my dad to accomplish some important parts of that purpose.
I don’t think my dad sat down and planned, “I need to teach these four values to my kids.” He did it mostly by just being there and speaking his mind (sometimes with passion!) in the context of a life that made what he meant unmistakably clear.
Bob Jones Sr. was fond of saying, “The greatest ability is dependability,” but that concept was familiar to me long before I read it in high school. I remember hearing as a kid, “If you say you’re going to do something, you do it. If you say you’re going to be somewhere, you be there,” and other variations on that theme (See Prov. 25:19). Dad wasn’t trying to preach, but his words drove a biblical principle deep into my young mind.
“Over the years, the verse has held as a precious promise to parents that if they do everything right, their kids will turn out right. It has also been used as a guilty club to beat up parents who are feeling defeated over the choices of a rebellious child. Both responses are a misinterpretation and a misapplication of the text.” - P&D
“Some researchers4 have made the case that marriage doesn’t matter much, while others have argued that marriage does matter. This raises the question—who is right? How much difference does marriage make in determining children’s later-in life success?” - IFS
“A Lifeway Research study of both U.S. Protestant pastors and churchgoers found most in both groups believe it’s OK to miss church occasionally for a kid’s game or travel sporting event, but those in the pews are laxer on the issue than those behind the pulpit.” - The Baptist Paper
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