Principle-Centered Parenting:

A Spiritual Approach

Principle-Centered Parenting is not about controlling, manipulating or changing childrens external behavior. It is about starting healthy spiritually based thinking that changes behavior from the inside out. Focusing on controlling or changing external behaviors is like trying to change a picture projected on a screen without changing the film in the camera. As children learn to love good, their behavior reflects their thinking and bad behavior dissolves like darkness when we turn on a light. We cannot teach a drowning person how to swim. Similarly, we cannot teach healthy behavior to an out of control child. It is necessary to stop destructive or harmful behavior with temporary measures, but long-term learning takes time, repetition, creative insight and willingness to listen to our inner spiritual parenting guide. Teaching behavior principles is similar to teaching math or reading. It takes loving patience and faith in a childs ability to learn. When children understand correct principles, their mistakes disappear. Parables like the Wheat and Tares explain the spiritual law of growth and development. The scriptures contain powerful stories that make spiritual laws practical and effective in parenting and daily family life. Principle-Centered Parenting is a guide for parents to tap into their own and their childrens infinite spiritual resources.