Importance of Good Manners and Training Even in the Young

            Good nurturance and training positively influences a child to good and blessings to himself or herself and benefits others. A child who is indulged, neglected, abused, or poorly nurtured and trained is likely to become a victim, an abuser, and a liability. It is helpful to parents and a tremendous boon to a child and to society for parents and others who are interested in or charged with the welfare of children to consider Bible principle as the primary reliable source when considering how to rear children.

 Children are precious to most people. Most people love children. Children are considered a gift from God. We hold that children are our future. From time to time one hears about the innocence of a child. Children are all of these wonderful things and much, much more. A child can be a spring of joy. A child can also be a source of heartbreak and ruination. What makes the difference? What causes one child to grow up and be a blessing to his or her parents and family? What causes another child to grow up to become a cloud of unhappiness and caprice? One becomes a builder and the other becomes a derelict. What makes the difference?

             The Bible warns us that “There is a generation that  curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother.” Proverbs 30:11.  Even the lyrics of popular songs tell us that the training of children is of utmost importance. Yes, we are told “children must be carefully taught.”  We sing “Children are our future…teach them well and let them lead the way.”

             The Word of God tells us that discipline is of importance to a child’s upbringing. It is a vital part of the responsible rearing of children. Discipline in a child’s life is a good and reliable instructor. When discipline is applied lovingly and consistently the child is well instructed in the knowledge of good and bad. He learns that it is beneficial to choose the good and avoid the bad. In Proverbs 29:15, we are told that “The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.”

            A child is to be deliberately and purposefully taught good manners. A child will be a source of great pleasure, enjoyment, pride, comfort, and joy, if carefully and consistently taught by parents who model or at least adhere to the counsel of the Bible and many of the older generation who for sure, may not have had a degree in child rearing, but who were graduates of the school of good mother’s wit. They knew how to rear children. They were parents first and friends next, not last. They looked to outcomes.

             They knew how to teach a child to be loving, obedient, and thankful, rather than to neglect their sacred responsibility and indulge a child to become disobedient, self-willed, ungrateful, selfish, and demanding. It is possible to make a difference  in the character and disposition of a child that will result in good manners and good citizenship rather than in dependence, indulgence, violence, and crime. Those who train and influence children should consider the impact that their style of training will make on the child or children in their charge