Where is the Best Place to Find Parenting Advice?


6 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise—3 “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”[a]
4 Fathers,[b] do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
As Paul concludes his letter to the Ephesians, he gets very practical. First, he talks about the relationship between parents and their children.  It is interesting that Paul feels this is so important 2,000 years ago, and we know it is no less important today.  As a parent of two children 15 and 11, I know how difficult it is to teach kids' discipline.  Our culture has taught kids to be entitled and respect for parents has dwindled.  Parenting in a single parent family is even harder. Here were a couple of quotes I found helpful:  
"It is essential that a parent teach the child obedience, so that the child will grow up knowing how to obey God even when he doesn’t understand everything or doesn’t want to." (Guzik)
"When the bonds of family life break up, when respect for parents fails, the community becomes decadent and will not live long.” (Foulkes)
In our culture the word "discipline" has taken on a bad name.  The very thing kids need is often miscontrued and watered down.  And the great thing about Paul's reiteration of the 4th commandment is that it is the only commandment with a promise attached to it.  He tells children and youth that as they honor their parents, "it will go well with them all of their days".  I have seen this time and time again that successful people have had a good relationship with their parents. 
Finally, parents are given an admonition as well.  Paul says, "Don't exasperate your children but bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord." Though we need to discipline our children it should not be excessive or overly rigid.  Kids need grace and while there is the need for law/rules, there is also room for needed grace.  Remember grace is not getting what you deserve, and we all need it! Where would be without it?
Paul says to bring your children up in the training and instruction of the Lord. What does that mean?  It means that parents are the primary faith mentors for their kids.  Your kids will learn what faith in Christ is all about by watching you.  While you will never be perfect, you need to intentionally model the Christian lifestyle for your kids.  For example, if you never go to church what is that teaching your kids?  It is teaching them that worshipping God on a regular basis is not important or a convenient option.  What do you think will happen when they get out of your household?  
This passage is not preached enough.  As a parent I need help, but I also need to obey Paul's commandment.  After all isn't the bible the best place to find parenting advice?

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