4 Ways Parents Can Help Their Kids Obey

1. Set up clear expectations.

Our children can’t read our minds, and they don’t naturally understand the right way to behave in different situations. Let your children know what to expect when entering a new environment and provide clear, simple instructions about appropriate behavior. A short conversation before going to a Sunday school class, doctor’s visit, or friend’s home for dinner can stave off many bad behaviors.

2. Practice, practice, practice.

When you have a must-have shopping list in hand, you might threaten, “We’re going to leave the store if you don’t stop crying!” but you know you can’t leave. Instead, plan a trip just to train your child good behavior in the store. Keep practicing until you get it right. There’s more work in the short term, but in the long run, you’ll enjoy going to the store a whole lot more.

“Pray your children will choose to do the right thing today at school and at home.”

3. Use drama.

Kids love stories, so leverage stories to get your point across. Let’s suppose you’re going to grandma and grandpa’s house for a holiday. You can tell one story in which the kids act naughty: demanding food from grandma, yelling and fighting right in front of grandpa, and running through the house. Then act out the opposite—kids who offer to help in the kitchen, who say thank you, and who follow house rules.

4. Pray specifically for obedience.

Ask God specifically for your children to develop obedient hearts. Pray Scriptures such as Exodus 20:12, saying, “God, may my child honor us as parents so that they will live long in the land You give us.” Pray your children will choose to do the right thing today at school and at home.