Teaching Children to Work

Raising children and keeping house is a lot of work, and a lot of ladies are getting burned out because they are doing too much. They are struggling with the demands of running a household when they could be delegating a lot of it, and I don’t mean they should be delegating it to their husbands. If my wife asks me to do something like take out the trash, I tell her to have one of the kids do it. I didn’t sire nine children, so I could take out the trash or pick up after the family dog. I did my time shoveling dung and mowing the lawn. It’s not that I’m lazy. I just want to do other more important work. Not only that, but children need to get used to working.

A lot of people today look down on the idea of giving children household chores. They act like it is some terrible thing when older kids are expected to help care for their younger siblings. People think children should have a childhood of just playing, but what they don’t realize is that doing work actually makes people happy. Kids think that they would rather play all day while their parents wait on them hand and foot, but in the long run, learning to be productive will lead to a more satisfying life.

At first, we have to do everything for our children, but as they get older, they should be given some responsibilities. Even a toddler can be taught to start helping out with small tasks around the house. Yes, it’s easier to do things ourselves sometimes, but it is important that kids are learning how to work. In the beginning it’s harder, but in the long run, it will make your life easier. If your children are 10 and 12 years old, and you are still doing all of the laundry, dishes, and yardwork, I say to you what Jethro said to Moses in Exodus 18:

“The thing that thou doest is not good. Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.”

A household runs more smoothly when everyone does their part. Dad works a job to support the family, but Mom shouldn’t be wearing herself out by doing all of the housework herself. An older child with a younger sibling should be taught to get his little brother a drink of water or tie his shoes when needed instead of always expecting the parent to do every little thing.

It’s not that parents should sit around and do nothing, but we need to prioritize. There are certain things that only we as adults can do, and we ought to do those things and delegate the rest. Like Moses, a lot of us have a tendency to take too much on when we really could use a little help.

Here is a sermon on “Delegating Responsibility.”

Overboard on Homeschooling

I believe in homeschooling--I’m against Christian school and public school, but there’s a movement out there where homeschooling has become like a religion for some people. When parents go overboard in the area of homeschooling it can scare people off, whether it be unsaved people or other Christians. Homeschooling is a means to an end. It’s how we educate our children, but it shouldn’t be all we talk about. When people ask me what I do, I tell them I’m a pastor. I don’t introduce myself as a “homeschool dad.”

One of the gurus of the overboard-on-homeschooling movement is Michael Pearl who is famous for his parenting book, “To Train up a Child.” People who have read the book have actually abused their children to the point of killing them! The reason the book is so dangerous is that Pearl is basically telling people to expect total obedience from their children. This is unrealistic and leads to excessive punishment. He teaches the same garbage as Paul Washer about Romans 7. He twists the scripture and believes that our nature is to do right. I believe in spanking, obviously, but I recognize the sinful nature of man and therefore do not expect perfection from my children.

Not only does Pearl teach false doctrine and a fatally flawed philosophy about discipline, but he, and others like him, encourage a very slow-paced lifestyle that revolves around homeschooling. Yes, your wife ought to get through the curriculum and provide a quality education for the children, but we also need to be involved in church “so much the more as ye see the day approaching.” The Michael Pearls of this world give homeschoolers a bad name to the point where our fellow fundamental Baptists assume we are isolationists or something.

Yes, we homeschool, but our life centers around church. We still believe in “three to thrive.” I realize we are all spread thin at times, but we need to be careful to have the right priorities. It would be better for your child if your family made it to the Wednesday night service of a fundamental Baptist Church even if that means skipping the violin lessons. I am not saying we should neglect our own families for the sake of the ministry, but we should not spend all of our time on childrearing either.

“And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; THAT IN ALL THINGS HE MIGHT HAVE THE PREEMMENENCE.” Colossians 1:18

I’m sick and tired of hearing these homeschoolers who live in Phoenix, Arizona, talk about how conservative they are, when they go to a church that’s not KJV only and doesn’t have soul-winning. There’s just no excuse for that in Phoenix! If that’s you, get your butt into a fundamental Baptist church with a leather-lunged preacher, and start soul-winning. Keep homeschooling your children, but realize that they learn a lot by example. You think just because you are homeschooling, you are raising a godly family? What about the family down the street that’s going to hell!? Hopefully, your children will grow up to be godly adults, but what are YOU going to accomplish for the Lord today?

Here is a sermon to go with this article.

Give Attendance to Reading

One of the most important things you can teach your children is how to read so that they can continue to learn things on their own. When teaching children to read, it is important to teach phonics and not the “look-see” method or "see and say" method. While they do need to memorize a few “sight words,” don’t have them just memorize hundreds of words as if they were Chinese characters or something.

Take the time to teach them the phonics rules, and be patient enough to sit there and listen as they struggle to sound out words. My mom taught me to read before I ever started school, which gave me a great head start on a life-long journey of learning. Teaching your children to read well is one of the greatest gifts you can give them.

The A Beka curriculum is one example of a phonics-based curriculum in case you aren’t already familiar with phonics. You can also teach a child to read from the books of your choice if you have a firm grasp of phonics rules. Children love books with pictures, but picture books tend to be predictable, so be sure to also have your child read from plain, black and white books.

The Bible is the best textbook for reading since it starts out at a relatively easy reading level in Genesis. As you work your way through the Old Testament, the genealogies will force you to sound out unfamiliar names. This is especially beneficial if you have a tendency to guess at words based on context clues. Reading the genealogies out loud will help improve phonics skills in both children and adults.

The very best way to study academic subjects is not from a video, or an audio recording, but from a book. After all, God chose to give us the Bible in the form of a book. Highly intelligent men of the past learned at home from the Bible and other written works. E-books, audiobooks, videos, and educational phone apps are all useful tools, but be sure to also read from real, paper and ink books - especially the Bible.

“The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments.” 2 Timothy 4:13

Studies show that people connect emotionally more and comprehend more when reading print as opposed to e-books. It’s great to utilize technology for learning on the go, but be sure to include reading from real, paper and ink books as part of your daily routine.

Reading and studying isn’t just for students, either. Learning doesn’t end when you graduate but should be a life-long pursuit. When your children see you reading regularly, they will likely become avid readers as well.

“Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.” 1 Timothy 4:13

Here is a sermon on How to Learn.

3 Reasons to Homeschool your Children this Year

School starts next month, so now is a good time for homeschooling parents to do a little planning for the upcoming school year. If you feel unprepared to teach a higher grade, purchase the curriculum early and start studying, so that you can stay one step ahead of your student. If you are not planning to homeschool, consider the following three reasons to do so.

1. Avoid Government Brainwashing

Here’s a start: Don’t let some teacher tell your child that there is no God, being a homo is normal, and that the environment and animals are more important than human life. These days, the teacher might even be a Sodomite. Anti-god world views are especially dangerous for very young children who may not even understand salvation yet, but liberal, humanistic views can still have a negative impact on older children who have a solid foundation.

“The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.” Psalm 14:1

2. Teach Your Children the Bible

We are commanded to teach our children God’s laws and talk with them about the Bible at various times of day, and the homeschooling lifestyle provides plenty of opportunities to do this. In addition to the usual academic subjects taught in schools, Bible reading and memorization are an important part of our children’s education. The Bible is also interwoven into a lot of the curriculum since we use materials that quote the King James Bible and teach from a Christian perspective.

“And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” Deuteronomy 6:7

“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” Psalm 1:1-3

3. Minimize Bad Influences

Minimizing bad influences is probably the single most important reason to homeschool. Even if you live in the Bible belt where some of the teachers are Baptists or your children are in an exclusive private school, they are still going to school with a wide variety of students. Even as adults we are susceptible to peer pressure, and most kids just don’t take a strong enough stand in a school setting. If you have any rules at all, your children will begin to believe you are nuts since most of the other parents are so permissive in comparison. In junior high and high school, especially, kids will likely be exposed to pornography, drugs, and the advances of other students. Before you know it, your teenager might think he or she is in love with an unbeliever and completely rebel.

“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” 2 Corinthians 6:14

Ladies, homeschooling is gaining in popularity among Christians, so chances are, there is an experienced homeschooling mom in your church that can help you navigate through the state regulations, curriculum choices, and the challenges of teaching multiple grades with babies under foot. There is also a lot of information available online about how to homeschool. My wife’s blog is an excellent resource since she has been homeschooling our children for several years.

“That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,” Titus 2:4

Here is a sermon on homeschooling.

Greek Lesson Videos for Homeschoolers

These videos teach Biblical Koiné Greek using modern pronunciation, which gives the student the best of both worlds: the ability to read the Greek New Testament and the ability to speak with Greek people. The videos are all available on YouTube for free and teach vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation using real Bible verses from the Textus Receptus (the Greek text underlying the King James Bible). The King James Bible is never criticized, corrected, or undermined in these videos.

The only supplies you will need go through these lessons are pens and paper. However, you will probably want to buy a trustworthy Greek New Testament that can be purchased here from the Trinitarian Bible Society for only $9.50.

Most of the lessons are about 10 minutes long, but the lesson on the alphabet and some of the other lessons are longer. Some are shorter than 10 minutes.

Two of my nephews watching the videos as part of their homeschooling.

Practicing the letters of the Greek alphabet.