Seven Ways to Tell if Your Child is Rejecting Your Values

I was shocked when I read that 61% of young adults who were churched as teenagers are now spiritually disengaged. How did this kind of values rejection get past the parents?

Rebellion can be very obvious, such as is expressed in Isaiah 3:8-9:
“…Their speech and their actions are against the LORD…the expression of their faces bears witness against them.”

Rebellion can also be very subtle. Jesus poses the question in Matthew 21:28-32 about a father who asked his two sons to go work in the vineyard. The first son said, “I will, sir”; and he did not go. The second son answered “I will not”; but he reconsidered and went. Jesus asked, “Which of the two did the will of his father?” The listeners replied, “The latter.”

My article “Seven Ways to Tell if Your Child is Rejecting Your Values” addresses these more subtle forms of rebellion. Recognizing these signs, is a first step in intercepting a child’s “values rejection.” Read the full article under “resources” at my website.

We had “code words” that we used as reminders to our children to help them keep their attitudes in check. Many times just using those words would be adequate to correct a child. I remember one daughter becoming offended and starting to glare. I said, “Snake eyes,” and smiled, and the little glare melted away.

What parenting techniques have you used to keep attitude in check?

God bless….

Millie McNabb, B.A., B.Mus.

Strategies and support for parents who are intentionally raising children to become Christian adults. www.ChristianValuesLegacy.com