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Spiritual Growth » Kids Spiritual Growth » One simple tip for teaching kids discernment

One simple tip for teaching kids discernment

September 22 By Kim Sorgius 12 Comments

22 Sep

one-simple-trick-for-teaching-kids-discernment-main

His little 6-year-old hands were shaving carrots as I cut the onions for our dinner that night. His siblings were at piano lessons and it was the perfect opportunity to monopolize mom’s attention. He didn’t hesitate. Within seconds he was telling me tales and chattering away about LEGO masterpieces.

Then he stopped and looked firmly at me. “Mom, Marilyn brought coffee today,” he tattled in the most concerned voice he could muster. I wanted to giggle but instead I reacted. I dropped the knife and raised my eyebrows, letting my eyes grow really wide and gasped, “Coffee? What a sinner!”

He half rolled his eyes at me and said, “Mom, drinking coffee is not a sin.”

I smiled big and my heart was full. My goal was to help him hear the tattling tone in his voice and remind him that her behavior wasn’t wrong, even though I personally hate coffee. But I got much more. I saw that he was able to discern the truth even when my behavior seemed to indicate otherwise.

Our playful encounter shed light on a very helpful parenting tool that somehow came naturally to me. I’ve taught my children to discern truth from lies and to understand what the Bible really says by constantly questioning them. And by offering up occasional absurdities like coffee drinking being a sin.

Sometimes my comments go unnoticed and I have to backtrack and say- wait did anyone hear that?

But most of the time they’re met with laughter and rebuttal. A very welcome rebuttal.

Why? Because kids are designed to question and argue the point. God created them that way. My job as a mom is to help guide them in their questioning. It’s my job to teach them to question things that don’t seem right- no matter who says them. After all, many a child has fallen prey to a predator because he was taught to obey without question.

Now let me carefully tell you I expect my kids to obey me without question… UNLESS I ask them to do something against God’s Word. Then all bets are off. I’m not the ultimate authority here. God is. My job and calling is to help them learn to obey God no matter what the cost.

Note that I said OBEY GOD. I am indeed supposed to teach them to obey me, but ultimately it’s God I want them to listen to. I think a large part of the secret to helping them do that is giving them the tools to discern truth.

I want to help them know truth from lies so they are certain what to hold close to their hearts and what to cast away when faced with the lies of this world.

Sometimes the easiest way to do this is by teaching them to recognize the wrong thing. Of course I don’t mean that I say ugly words to my kids or talk about inappropriate things.

I just often do things like I did that day with the coffee. I am always careful to over exaggerate and if my playful banter isn’t met with the opposition I expect, I never let it go. To do so would be cementing lies in their heads. I always bring it back around and help them see the error in my statement.

One day, they are going to be in this world on their own and that will come much sooner than I expect it. I want them to be ready!

So what about you? Have you tried something like this? I’d love to hear how it went.

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Comments

  1. Lea says

    September 30 at 11:54 am

    This is a great reminder. Thanks!

    Reply
  2. Marina Doerksen says

    September 30 at 1:31 pm

    Excellent parenting techneque!!! You are making good use of the little bit of time we have parenting before they ARE in the world on their own.

    Reply
  3. Autumn Frost says

    September 30 at 2:54 pm

    I really liked that, I have two little ones that are 18 months apart and they love to tattle on each other. I think in my own way I have done that, but I hope to improve on teaching my kids discernment skills for sure. Thanks for sharing that.

    Reply
  4. Courtney says

    September 30 at 6:27 pm

    I love reminder that sometimes by just being ourselves we are teaching valuable lessons.

    Reply
  5. Liz gibson says

    September 30 at 7:32 pm

    I have that same sense of humour and use it all the time with my kids. It’s like over exaggerating a silliness so they can see it as such. Maybe lessons are easier to take when we are relaxed and having fun with someone we love. God or our parents.

    Reply
    • Kim Sorgius says

      October 10 at 10:00 pm

      I sure think they are. I love a warm smile alongside my lessons. 🙂

      Reply
  6. Aise says

    October 1 at 7:28 am

    I love this! Thank you for sharing! I will be more deliberate in doing this 🙂

    Reply
  7. Suzie Homemaker says

    October 1 at 11:10 am

    AMEN. nd I teach mine. Obey God first then MOM AND Dad. if someone in class at church or just someone at church tells you something different then mom or dad have told you, its no. its a lie. its untruth. unbelievable what some people believe and will teach kids even at church. never checking to see if the Bible says what they were taught at school growing up. they just keep going on with the public lies of school.

    Reply
  8. Michele says

    October 1 at 6:35 pm

    I love your newsletters that come into my e mail. They make my day along with the inspiration which you can never have enough of. Thanks again!

    Reply
    • Kim Sorgius says

      October 10 at 10:00 pm

      Aww thank you for your kind words. God is so good!

      Reply
  9. Joanne says

    October 3 at 10:47 am

    I love your playfulness in teaching truth! And that God is the ultimate in everyway. Thank you for sharing this story with us.

    Reply
    • Kim Sorgius says

      October 10 at 9:58 pm

      You’re welcome!

      Reply

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2018-07-02T17:36:15-05:00

Christi, single homeschooling mom of 7

What an encouragement your words have been to me! The practical tips and realistic systems that you share are so super helpful, but what I have appreciated the most has been your genuine heart for the Lord and for the things of the Lord. What I sense through your words is a heart submitted to the Lord, clinging to Him instead of to bitterness. Walking a path that you never signed up for, painfully aware of your brokenness and inadequacies, but keeping your eyes focused on the only Giver of Life. You have a testimony of victory, of overcoming, Kim. Your life-giving words boast of the faithfulness of a God who hears and sees and knows and provides and comforts. A God who doesn't change.
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Tara, single homeschooling mom

I want to thank you for your transparency and dedication to blessing families with resources. Thank you for the life giving words that I read over and over. I cling to the hope I see in your story. Not only did you help me work through things that had happened, you prepared me for a situation that could have consumed me. God used your encouragement to strengthen me. I was so beaten down, discouraged, and tired from the long and difficult path I had been walking. It was a refreshing rain in the middle of a weary road, and it made me hope for a future that is victorious.
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Laura, homeschooling mom of 6

As far as the other things, I LOVE my brothers keeper and we've done it twice over the past year or two. I recommend it all the time on so many groups online. I type notconsumed.com almost daily somewhere on something. At times I will come across another resource you have created and it's like you are in my head. So much of what you create is exactly what I want but am not techy enough to do! I had googled a checklist for homeschooling recently and yours popped up. It was exactly the simple thing I wanted. I told my husband that you "get me" when I found it. :) I ended up buying it then hearing about the course and did that too. Even as a veteran homeschool mom I learned a few things from your course. I really love how you foster independence in your kids in stages. Again, exactly what I want to do!
https://www.notconsumed.com/testimonials/love-everything-you-do/


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