(do this for a legitimate reason,
or abstract reasoning).
Ultimately, we want to teach teens
(about ages 13-21) principles
from God’s Word which will sustain them throughout their life.
Further, the teaching of adult
responsibilities like banking,
car maintenance, how to write
a check, make a deposit, etc.,
must also be imparted to the
young adults. They must learn
to function responsibly as adults.
There are many other consumer
skills that must be taught. How
many young women (or even
men for that matter) know how
to change a tire, change the oil,
or put gas in a car? They have
never been trained to do any of
these consumer behaviors. This
often results in an inability to
function fully in a rapidly changing society, ignorant as to how to
live life on a daily basis without
being taken unfair advantage
of. It is a parent’s responsibil-
ity to continue to train so that
the young person can be fully
functional as an adult when
they are on their own. Even in
the financial area, a parent can
help the young adult. This can
be accomplished by assisting
them to obtain a debit card. A
debit card allows for a certain
amount of money to be placed
on account. The young person
is only allowed to charge up to
what is in the account. This
teaches them faithfulness and
proper management of credit.
The reality is, if the young person
is taught how to manage credit
well when they are young, they
are less likely to have to come
back to mom and dad for a bail
out of their financial problems.
Thus, it is a good investment.
There will always be a certain
amount of training for children.
Again the Word says, “Train a
child and when they are old,
they will not depart from what
they have learned through that
training process,” whether good
or bad. If a parent has trained
their child to avoid conflict, they
will learn to avoid conflict. If they
have been trained to deal with
things directly, they will learn to
be problem solvers. Whatever
the model that has been presented tends to be what they will
repeat in future generations.
Dr. Stan DeKoven is the Founder
and President of Vision International University and its International Training and Education
Network, which equips God’s
people for Christian service in
and through the local church,
and prepares leaders in the 21st
century. He is a prolific writer
and teacher of practical wisdom
from the word of God, leadership
coach, and author of the book
“Parenting on Purpose” from
Vision Publishing, www.booksbyvision.com