Christian Parenting

Allie was having a rough night. She had already been disciplined once for slapping one of the pastor's sons across the face, and she had just done it again, this time to his brother. Her mother was humiliated and frustrated. Allie was angry, ashamed, and hopeless as she sat in her room awaiting the consequences.

When her mom went to speak with her, Allie cried, "I don't deserve to be out there with my friends."

How would you have answered her?

Practically every parent on the planet has had a conversation with a child about the impropriety of hitting others. The question before Christian parents is not "Should I correct this behavior?" The question is "How does the gospel inform the way I correct my children?" Perhaps a more pointed question would be "How does my parenting differ from that of my Mormon neighbors down the street?"

Continue reading Christian Parenting, Elyse Fitzpatrick's contribution to the March issue of Tabletalk.