Proverbs 10:1

A wise child brings joy to a father; a foolish child brings grief to a mother.

Most Christians parents have high hopes for their children…and they should. We want our kids to come to know the Lord in a saving way. We want them to follow Him in obedience. We want them to be Kingdom-minded and plugged into a good church. We want them to reject worldliness and pursue holiness. These are all things the Lord wants for them, too…but alas, not all of them will end up there.

Wise children end up following Christ. Foolish children do not. Parents don’t get to make that call.

One of the hardest things about being a parent is watching from the sidelines as your children make bad decisions and then suffer the consequences. When they are young, it’s a lot easier because you have a good deal of control…but as they mature into young adulthood and then independence, any control you think you have is an illusion. When they are wise – you are joyful. When they are foolish – you experience grief. Parenting is not for the faint of heart.

So…what’s a good parent to do? Is there anything we can do to point them towards wisdom rather than foolishness? You bet! Scripture gives us all kinds of teaching to pass on, and we’ll find a lot of it as we continue to move through Proverbs. But, it’s important to remember that it is on our children as to what they do with the wisdom we try to pass on. In her excellent book, “Engaging Today’s Prodigal”, author Carol Barnier makes a powerful point that every Christian parent needs to hear:

Really good parents can raise children that make really bad decisions.

This is where faith, prayer, hope, and long-suffering enter the picture. God is the perfect father, of course, and yet both of his children made bad decisions right in the middle of paradise! So, cut yourself some slack, parent. The choice between wisdom and foolishness is your child’s…not yours.