Real love makes a child do right. No matter what, it makes a child do right. It provides the diligent hand that says, “You have got to do this. I love you. You have got to do this.”

Personal Weakness and Failure

Some parents say, “Well, you know, I drank [or smoked, or caroused, or whatever], so I don’t feel like I can tell my child not to.” Your past is all the more reason to tell your children “No!”

Your kids don’t need to know all the details of your own past failures, and there are some things your children will probably be better off never finding out about. But do not let your failures be an excuse for your children to do wrong. Let your failures be a reason for your children to do right.  

Every parent has one of two good reasons to make sure his children stay on the right path. Either you can look at your child and say, “I did right, so can you,” or you can look at your child and say, “I did wrong, and I know how bad it is, so I’m not going to let you go the same way I did.”

Extended Family Members

Someone told me about a 5-year-old boy who was taking a reading readiness test. He used filthy language to his teacher right in the middle of it. The person telling me the story said that the boy had been around his grandfather, who had a terribly filthy mouth.

If you have good, godly grandparents and other relatives who support the rules and standards of your family rather than undermining them, thank God. But if you do not, be careful. As sad as it is, extended family members can be some of the most dangerous influences on your children. In fact, you may not be able to let your children visit them alone. Even if the relatives are well-meaning, they can still have a damaging effect on your children if they do not hold the same standards that your family holds.

Friends

This is a big one. Biblically speaking, a friend is a shepherd who cares for you, guides you, and feeds you. That is true whether your friend is a right friend or a wrong friend.

A right friend will guide you the right way. A wrong friend will guide you the wrong way. The Bible is very clear in stating and illustrating the power and the destructiveness of wrong friends.

Because of the innate need in the human heart for friendship, parents will sometimes let their children have a friend even if he or she is a wrong friend. I want to tell you: Friendship is so powerful that if you even think that your child has a wrong friend, you would be wise to have the diligent hand that reaches out and pulls your child back on the right path, regardless of whether they like or understand what you’re doing.