Proverbs 22:6, HCSB
As the father of a little girl, sometimes the most difficult part of parenting is disciplining a child. When I take away a toy from my daughter because she's misbehaving, I explain to her why I'm doing it and remind her that it's because I love her that I teach her there are consequences for disobedience.
I also make every effort to remind her that she is loved and pray with her each night. My wife reads her Bible stories often as part of the bedtime routine.
Nevertheless, there are days the weight of responsibility to raise my daughter up to serve, honor, and glorify God feel as though it might crush me. Raising a child to serve the Lord is so much more than just teaching them to "be good" and I sometimes feel overwhelmed by the challenge that Scripture presents.
Still, I pray to God that He will raise me up as His child so I can raise my child to serve Him. I know I'll make mistakes and, ultimately, my daughter will decide for herself whether she will serve Him or not. But I trust that God will answer my and my wife's prayers and help us be the parents He wants us to be.
). It's nice seeing a Father take his role importantly though. So much of our society dismisses the awe and responsibility of being a parent to favor personal pleasure and freedom. There will be consequences.