What the Bible says about
raising children
The Bible speaks about raising children more frankly than much of the literature on the subject. It gives principles rather than a method, and the main one is uncomfortable for parents: what shapes a child is less the speeches and more the ordinary life of the people they live with.
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”
Proverbs 22:6 · read the chapter →
“These words I am commanding you today are to be upon your hearts. And you shall teach them diligently to your children and speak of them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”
Deuteronomy 6:6-7 · read the chapter →
“Fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath; instead, bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”
Ephesians 6:4 · read the chapter →
“Children are indeed a heritage from the LORD, and the fruit of the womb is His reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are children born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. He will not be put to shame when he confronts the enemies at the gate.”
Psalm 127:3-5 · read the chapter →
“Fathers, do not provoke your children, so they will not become discouraged.”
Colossians 3:21 · read the chapter →
“Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will bring delight to your soul.”
Proverbs 29:17 · read the chapter →
Proverbs 22:6 is a principle, not a guarantee
"Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it" describes how things generally go, which is the genre of Proverbs. Reading it as a binding contract has wounded many parents of adult children who walked away. The proverb is observed wisdom, not a clause.
On the road, at home, at bedtime
Deuteronomy 6:6-7 says to talk about the commandments when you sit at home, when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. The formation it pictures is not a weekly class. It is conversation spread across an ordinary day.
The limit placed on parents
Ephesians 6:4 and Colossians 3:21 say the same thing from different angles: do not provoke your children to anger, or they will become discouraged. It is one of the few places where the Bible legislates for the child against the excess of the adult.
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