In case you couldn’t write fast enough to catch that J.C. Ryle quotation that Mark read on Sunday:

“Parents, I beseech you, for your children’s sake, beware of over-indulgence. I call on you to remember, it is your first duty to consult their real interests, and not their fancies and likings;–to train them, not to humour them;–to profit, not merely to please.

“You must not give way to every wish and caprice of your child’s mind, however much you may love him. You must not let him suppose his will is to be everything, and that he has only to desire a thing and it will be done. Do not, I pray you, make your children idols, lest God should take them away, and break your idol, just to convince you of your folly.

“Learn to say “No” to your children. Show them that you are able to refuse whatever you think is not fit for them. Show them that you are ready to punish disobedience, and that when you speak of punishment, you are not only ready to threaten, but also to perform. Do no threaten too much. Threatened folks, and threatened faults, live long. Punish seldom, but really and in good earnest,–frequent and slight punishment is a wretched system indeed

“Reader, if there be any point which deserves your attention, believe me, it is this one. It is one that will give you trouble, I know. But if you do not take trouble with your children when they are young, they will give you trouble when they are old. Choose which you prefer.” J.C. Ryle, The Duties of Parents

Categories: Thursday Thoughts For Parents