Training Them To Leave Home

I once heard someone say that in raising your children you’re training them to leave home. Not that we’re trying to get rid of them at all, in fact I think I’ll be that Mum who forbids them to get married until they’re at least 35 so they can all stay with me!!

But thinking this way always keeps some questions in mind; What type of adult am I going to send out into the world when they are of age? What qualities do I want them to have? What will their character be like? Will they have a healthy self esteem? Will they be responsible, kind and thoughtful? Will they be strong minded and compassionate?

I truly believe that this training begins the day they are born and every time we correct, encourage and mould our children we are shaping them into the adult they one day will be.

Here’s 3 simple areas we’ve been intentional in so that our children leave home with a great foundation:

TRAIN THEM TO HAVE CONVICTION

Conviction is best described as a firmly held belief or opinion and our kids are going to need it when we’re not around! It’s easy to be swayed one way and another but conviction acts like an anchor in the stormy seasons and will help them stay true to who they are and what they believe.

TRAIN THEM TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY

Responsibility is simply being accountable for something. If we never teach our children to be accountable for anything, when they leave home they’ll expect everything to be served up to them - and we all know that’s not the case in the real world.

TRAIN THEM TO HAVE CHARACTER

When I say character I’m talking about the moral qualities distinctive to an individual. We’ve taught our children to stand out for being reliable, doing what they said they’d do and being trustworthy.

When our children do leave home, we won’t fret - we have confidence we’ve given them the best foundation possible - the rest of course is up to them….

Louise x