Little Rebels Need Nurture and Consistency
October 30, 2024
Heidi Mosher
Try This Tiny Trick to Reach Your Rebel
Danika Cooley
Planting Seeds and Pulling Weeds
Stacy Farrell
Patiently Parenting the Rebel
Heidi Mosher
Try This Tiny Trick to Reach Your Rebel
Do you have a little rebel? I did. Though he was absolutely darling, he was absolutely strong-willed. I have so many stories about homeschooling that one.
How about you? Are you a little rebellious? I am. The no-more-sinning part of heaven sounds pretty good to me. Romans 7:15-20 absolutely resonates with me.
Back when my little rebel was arguing more than listening, and running from his schoolwork with a daily door slam, the Lord graciously introduced me to the concept of “relational homeschooling.” Diana Waring was a frequent writer for The Homeschool Minute and The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine back then, and “relational homeschooling” was her message. The idea is to prioritize relationship with your child—even ahead of academics. It works!
When I invested time into playing with my son for “five minutes of fun” before we hit the books each day, our lessons together went much better. We used that little prelude to schoolwork to assemble a tiny Lego build together, shoot a few baskets, or laugh as we filled in a MadLib. He loved it. I loved it. We’d go on to approach his work as a team instead of a tournament. Those were busy years with four little ones. Sparing even five minutes from our tight schedule was honestly hard. Yet that consistent investment in our relationship consistently worked wonders.
Search the TOS app or dig through The Homeschool Minute archives for Diana Waring’s articles on relational homeschooling. Visit her website at: https://www.dianawaring.com/growing-good-relationships/relational-homeschooling. You can also find Deborah Wuehler’s wisdom on the topic of rebellion there. Deborah has an excellent podcast episode on rebellion too; listen on the Hey, Mama! Homeschool Show.
That rebel of mine? He’s 17 now and an easy kid—responsible, driven, successful, thoughtful, fun to live with, and all the things a mother hopes for. I wish someone could have told me ten years ago, when he was climbing on the school table, that everything would be all right. It’s better than all right—he’s got a bright future.
There’s nothing like parenthood to understand our Father’s love. Thanks to Jesus, we can have a right relationship with God the Father. What a bright future in Him!
About the author
Heidi Mosher is honored to write for The Homeschool Minute, as it was a lifeline of her early homeschooling years. She is thankful to be the mother of four—two recent homeschool graduates and two who are currently homeschooled.
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Danika Cooley
Planting Seeds and Pulling Weeds
“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not”(Galatians 6:9).
Gardening is hard work. Week after week, season after season, year after year, we plant seeds, protect and water the seedlings as they grow, and carefully tease weeds out of the soil to avoid harming our new little plants. Growing a garden into something that will bear fruit requires care, repetition, and perseverance.
Raising children to the glory of God also requires care, repetition, and perseverance. As we teach and train our kids, we plant the seeds of God’s Word in their hearts. While we gently confront sin in the hearts of our children, we inevitably confront our own sinful hearts. Parenting is hard work, but our earthly labor has eternal significance.
It is easy to grow weary as we care for the ongoing, daily needs of our children. Yet, Paul reminds us not to give up, for when the time is right, we will see fruit. That fruit can be a child who joyfully helps his sister, a little one who finally grasps long addition, or a teen who memorizes a long Bible passage. We pray that our children will grow to love God and love others.
On a daily basis, we sow the seeds of the Gospel, of Scripture, and of love and discipline and wisdom. We lead our children to God’s Word, we explain it to them, and we teach them to pray. We do it all over and over again, day in and day out. We are planting seeds and pulling weeds.
Christian mom, be encouraged by God’s Word. Do not grow weary of doing good and do not give up. Be assured that one day, you will reap the harvest God has for you.
Danika Cooley is an award-winning children’s author who blogs about Bible books, crafts, activities, and snacks at Thinking Kids. Her books include Help Your Kids Learn and Love the Bible, Bible Investigators: Creation, and the Who What Why series, a line of Christian history for 7–11-year-olds. Grab your free three-week sample of her popular Bible Road Trip™ curriculum here.
Stacy Farrell
Patiently Parenting the Rebel
Proverbs 22:6 reminds us, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”
That can be a challenging task.
We all struggle against temptations that arise because of our sin nature. Recognizing this can help us approach our children’s disobedience with greater compassion, patience and love.
The Heart Behind the Rebellion
When our children rebel, consider what motivates their behavior:
- Boredom or idleness?
- Hormonal changes?
- Or a truly rebellious heart?
The answer will guide our response.
Consistency Is Critical
Consistency is the cornerstone of character training and discipline. It helps children understand expectations, boundaries, and consequences.
It’s easy to be consistent on the “good days,” but what about the days that we’d rather wave off bad behavior because we’re exhausted?
Here are a few tips:
- Take advantage of natural consequences: It may be that no additional discipline or training is needed if the natural consequences are impactful.
- Tag team: If you’re unable to respond in a healthy way, let the child know the issue will be addressed when your spouse comes home.
- Pause to pray: You’ll gain time to respond peacefully (and it will give you strength).
Immerse Your Home in Prayer & God’s Word
Consistent exposure to God’s Word equips children to discern right from wrong. It also paves the path to personal conviction, which can be more powerful than parental chastisement.
Here are a few ideas:
- Memorize Bible verses.
- Pray and worship together as a family.
- Display Scriptures in high-traffic areas in your home.
Raising children in accordance with God’s Word involves a delicate balance of nurture and consistency—and deep trust and dependency on the Lord.
His love,
Stacy
About the author
Surprised by Jesus, Stacy went from an unmarried, childless, thirty-something career woman to a Christ-following wife of more than thirty years with two sons she homeschooled K-12. Author of more than twenty books—including the award-winning Philosophy Adventure and Food Prep Guide: A Plan for Money-Saving, Self-Sustaining Abundance in Hard Times—she loves to equip and encourage homeschool families. Visit her at HomeschoolAdventure.com and at FoodPrepGuide.com.
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In Episode 92 of the Hey, Mama! Homeschool Show, Deborah Wuehler shares personal advice for how to nurture and provide consistency for your little rebels. God has created your children, even the strong-willed ones, for His purposes. By sharing struggles, changing the way we respond to our children, and being consistent, we can help them grow and know the truth of who they are in Christ. Find the show notes for “Little Rebels Need Nurture and Consistency” on HomeschoolShow.com.
“That’s Not How Mama Does It.” Dads, do not get discouraged when you hear those words. Turn the situation around and make it a great teachable moment! You might be surprised at what you can learn too. (Find this and other articles at HomeschoolApp.com.)
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