No parent is okay with disrespect coming from their child . . . at least in words. Practice . . . reality . . . that’s another matter. In fact, what many parents of young kids say about their children defying them and how they parent resembles the distance between stars.
Why the disconnect? Why do parents who know it is wrong for their children to disrespect them allow Lil Miss Attitude to stick out her jaw, put her hands on her hips, and say, “No!” in direct opposition to what she was just told? How about the child who repeatedly strikes out at Mommy with a defiant, angry spirit? Why do parents allow behavior in their kids they know is wrong?
It’s usually one of three reasons.
Some parents think defiant behavior in their young kids is cute. But it isn’t cute. It’s a window into the future – your future – and what is cute at 2 is dreadful at 16. You may have the will and power to control your defiant child today when it really matters to you but that time will soon pass. At some point, your child will realize that you no longer have the power to control. The early childhood years go by like a comet in the night sky. What then? You’re not raising a young child. You’re training an adult and the character you instill in a young child is the foundation for the life he will lead. Defiant kids become willful adults. It isn’t cute.
Some parents are tired or Lazy. Being an “on point” parent is time consuming and exhausting. At times, it’s just plain hard. Your right in the middle of something and a simple request – Johnny, come here – turns into a battle. Sometimes we don’t want to bother. We’re busy. We’re in the middle of something important. I’ll let it pass, this time, we tell ourselves, but this time has a way of becoming every time.
Sometimes parents are Ignorant and feel powerless. They know the situation is wrong but don’t know what to do, especially if it happens in public.
Disrespecting Mommy will not dissipate on its own. Defiance must be trained and disciplined from the heart of a child. How do we do that?
- Tell yourself the truth about what you are doing. Parenting is discipleship. Jesus trained his disciples and you are training yours. When we have clarity on what we are doing, the importance of it compels us to action.
- Stop accepting the unacceptable. The Bible says that, “rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft.” 1 Samuel 15:23. We don’t have to understand all the implications of this statement to know defiance in a child is very bad and is never acceptable.
- Address disrespect every time it appears, whether it’s convenient or not. Tell yourself, ‘I will never again let my child’s disrespect go unchecked.’
- Let love motivate your discipline. Discipline that is done without love is sinful. We are admonished to “Speak the truth in love”. Ephesians 4:15. Love is the critical factor in biblical discipline. Without it, hearts will become hard.
- Examine your own heart and parenting to ensure you don’t do things that exasperate your child and drive him/her to defiance. To address the issue of disrespect in your child when you are the cause of that behavior makes you a hypocrite and kids don’t need any more of those!
- Seek God’s favor by taking your challenge to Him in prayer. Sometimes we attempt to do the most important things in our own strength. Ask God to do His work in your own heart and life so you can grow into the loving, faithful, wise, discerning parent He wants you to be.
God bless you as you seek to honor Him in the high calling of parenting.
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How is your marriage doing, these days?
Whether you are having serious challenges or are doing well but looking for something to do together as a couple, we’re encouraging everyone to take “The 100 Day Love Challenge” (based on the 100 Ways to Love books) It’s easy, straightforward, doable, a lot of fun and your spouse will love you for it! Here’s how:
How to Take the 100 Day Love Challenge!
1) Get your bundle – each of you get a copy of “your” book.
(Get the New Hardcover Gift Editions HERE or the Paper Back Editions HERE)
2) Pick a “Start Date” and commit to the next 100 days.
3) Each day, do one loving act for your spouse (with no expectation of “payback”).
4) Ask God to help you to understand how to love well and to follow through with it.
5) Watch your marriage deepen and grow closer as you both focus on those things that say, “I love You!” rather than things that say, “I love Me.”
Please join Lisa and me for The 100 Day Love Challenge! It’s simple, highly doable, and something both husband AND wife can do together!
Real Reviews from Readers
★★★★★ “Love Covers a Multitude of Sins” by K.S.
I want to love my husband well! 100 Ways to Love Your Husband gave me the practical ways to do just that. This book showed me new ways to love him, as well as reminded me of ways I had forgotten. This book is an easy read and is written in such a way that I can read one way a day or several a day.
My husband is not much of a reader but has enjoyed 100 Ways to Love Your Wife. I can tell he has taken to heart each way to Love me better. Marriage is tough, but we are called to love each other deeply. These books are a great way to start!
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★★★★★ “Go buy it now and transform your marriage one page at a time!!! by Amazon Customer
The 100 Way to Love Your Husband/Wife books by Matt and Lisa Jacobson are an excellent and easy read. We have been married 22 years, and I would say we have a great marriage! But even so, we are always looking for ways to make it even better and grow it even deeper!
These books teach us so many different ways to speak love to each other, ways that we may not even have realized WAS speaking love. I have bought a 2nd set now to give as a wedding gift! As with any books, the principles need to be read and “applied” for you to experience the difference in your own marriages! So go buy these books and happy reading!!
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★★★★★ “Something here to enrich any marriage out there” by ALBL
This book can be very helpful if you apply it the way the author intended. Now, not everything in here will apply in every marriage or to every woman. That being said, there is something here to enrich any marriage out there. I have found myself doing some of these actions before I read the book, but now I have an actual purpose in doing these things.
As a man working to repair a marriage, I read this book from front to back, applying a few of these ways to show love and affection every day. It has helped a lot this week alone. This is not a long drawn out book either, and it doesn’t take a lot of time away from you to start applying. I plan on reading this book again and highlighting key points that I want to apply more.
We hope this 100 Day Love-You-Better Challenge will bless and encourage you both in your marriage!
Matt & Lisa
Matt Jacobson is a biblical marriage coach, founder of FaithfulMan.com a biblical marriage, parenting, and discipleship ministry providing written and audio teaching, as well as couples marriage coaching. He is also the creator of FREEDOM Course, an 8 session class, including a workbook, where he teaches men the biblical path to finding total victory from pornography and sexual sin. He is the co-host (with his wife, Lisa) of Faithful Life Podcast and is author of the bestseller, 100 Ways to Love Your Wife. Matt is pastor of Cline Falls Bible Fellowship and is married to Lisa, founder of Club31Women.com (they have 8 kids!).