CHRISTIAN PARENTING

1. Children must learn to pray 

   1. Pray together at meal times and bedtime 

   2. Make a prayer Icon corner in your home 

   3. Liturgical calendar - use it to teach your children about Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter. 

   4. Devotion to saints – stories, Icons, shrines e. Include prayer in holiday celebration 

2. Children must learn to worship in community 

   1. Sunday Divine Liturgy is important for the whole family

   2. We must teach children to respect the presence of God in church.

   3. Use age-appropriate picture books at the Divine Liturgy

   4. Teach children we worship with our bodies, hearts, minds, and souls 

3. Children must learn Melkite Christian attitudes

   1. Sense of the sacred.

   2. Loyalty to family

   3. Love for the good, the true, and the beautiful

   4. Habits of service

   5. Sense of hope  

4. Children must learn to avoid and resist sin

   1.  Begin with obedience to parents. Even toddlers can begin to learn to choose their own actions.

   2. Age of reason - about seven years old. Best age for teaching them confession.

   3. Near occasion of sin - remember what that means?

 
As you think about these points and the challenge of Christian parenting, resist the temptation to compare yourself to any other family. God delights in your family! He's waiting with love for you to come closer and learn more about his way of love.