Parental responsibility does not cease when a child reaches the age of eighteen. The behaviors of young adults often stem from the permissiveness or absenteeism of parents during their earlier years. Parents must act as the moral, ethical, and commonsense voice to guide the energies and aspirations of their children. Failing to correct and direct them can lead to lifetimes of grief and ruin. As Solomon wisely advises, discipline and advise your child while there is still hope, and do not contribute to their destruction. A child left to himself brings shame to his mother, highlighting the critical role parents play in shaping their children's paths.

God places a high priority on parenting, emphasizing the spiritual outcome of a child's life over material and economic fortunes. Proper, godly parenting promotes lifelong principles that can lead to wealth, position, and prestige, but God's focus remains on spiritual growth. The responsibility of parents is foundational, as seen in the instruction to actively train a child toward a specific, desired result, knowing that early training will remain with them throughout life. Parents must be diligent, thoughtful, farsighted, and godly in their efforts. Additionally, parents are advised not to provoke their children to wrath but to bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord, understanding their emotional limits and using God's wise guidance as the foundation for childrearing.

Parents bear a profound responsibility in childrearing, recognizing its significance to God's purpose. The primary goal is to produce godly seed for His Kingdom, making the task urgent and meaningful. Both father and mother are essential, united in their aim despite bringing different skills and perspectives, working together to achieve this sacred objective. Discipline is a critical aspect of this responsibility, encompassing several key areas. Parents must establish their authority, ensuring children honor them. Discipline should be administered in love, with clear, consistent rules and limits set for the family. Chastening, particularly through spanking, is highlighted as an effective method to gain a child's attention and correct behavior, though other methods may be used as appropriate. Spanking should cause minimal pain without injury, delivered calmly and with few strokes, aimed at re-establishing parental authority rather than inflicting harm. Punishment must be immediate, consistent, and fitting to the infraction, with both parents aligned in their approach to avoid manipulation by children. Creativity in discipline is encouraged, tailoring methods to the child and situation, escalating or changing tactics if disobedience persists. Punishing the offending member, such as a hand or lips, can reinforce the lesson, especially for younger children. Physical correction should be followed by verbal instruction to teach right behavior, and concluded with loving words and expressions of care to maintain a bond of trust. Child training is a long, diligent process, requiring consistent effort over years to prepare children for adulthood and God's Kingdom. Parents must dedicate their children to the way they should go, initiating them early in God's path through systematic, repetitive instruction. This involves hedging them in, narrowing their focus to the right path, and constantly sharpening their understanding through teaching and example in every aspect of life. God's way should permeate every thought, word, and deed of the parents, ensuring children learn by observation and mimicry. During church services, parents are responsible for training children to behave respectfully, recognizing the sanctity of the occasion. From infancy, habits like sleeping during services should be encouraged, with immediate correction for disruptions. Toddlers and older children must learn to sit quietly, engage appropriately, and avoid distractions, with parental oversight continuing through adolescence to ensure proper conduct. This respect extends to before and after services, maintaining decorum in fellowship. Ultimately, as long as children are under parental care, there is opportunity to provide loving discipline, teaching, and godly example, fostering hope for their future in God's Kingdom.

Parents today face immense challenges in fulfilling their responsibilities amidst societal pressures and shifting norms. The authority of parents is often undermined by external influences such as childcare experts, social media, intrusive governments, and even friends and relatives. Public disciplining can lead to viral criticism and intervention by social workers, reflecting a world where the state increasingly asserts control over child-rearing, as seen in cases like Charlie Gard in the UK. Draconian child endangerment laws in some areas label once-accepted parenting practices as neglect or abuse, such as leaving a child briefly unattended. Despite these pressures, many parents struggle to adapt, often yielding to politically correct methods that avoid corporal punishment, opting instead for ineffective strategies like counting to ten, time-outs, reasoning with toddlers, bargaining, or bribing. Such approaches frequently result in surrendering parental authority, allowing children to dominate family dynamics. Observations in public spaces reveal children running wild, with parents seemingly unable to assert control. A 2012 study from the University of Virginia identified four parenting styles in the US: faithful, engaged progressives, detached, and American dreamers. Faithful parents, comprising 20%, prioritize religious morality, aiming to raise children reflecting God's will. Engaged progressives, at 21%, focus on teaching responsibility and personal choice, often excluding religion and emphasizing personal experience over traditional values. Detached parents, 19%, adopt a hands-off approach, showing little involvement and often lacking confidence in their parenting efficacy. American dreamers, the largest group at 27%, are optimistic about future opportunities, investing heavily in education but neglecting present-day guidance, often hoping to be best friends with their adult children rather than authoritative figures. God places significant emphasis on the responsibility of parents to diligently teach their children in every situation, as highlighted in Deuteronomy 6. This constant, heartfelt effort is essential, ensuring children learn through parental example across all daily activities. Parents must establish themselves as authority figures, a principle rooted in the divine order where children are subject to parental guidance, reflecting the structure of heavenly authority. Even in a world trending toward parental abdication, parents are called to be countercultural, maintaining proper authority to foster respect for all forms of authority, ultimately preparing children to please God. Human nature inclines toward sin from an early age, influenced by environment, parental example, or negligence. Parents must begin training immediately, countering the constant negative influences of a corrupt world and ensuring children recognize parental authority early on. This early establishment of authority, done gently yet firmly, helps prevent future rebellion and reduces the need for severe correction later. Three crucial parenting principles emerge for successful child-rearing. First, parents must establish proper authority, standing in the place of God for their children, teaching them to honor, respect, and obey, which fosters a proper relationship and environment for growth. Second, consistency is vital, both in child-rearing practices and between parents, mirroring God's unchanging nature. This constancy builds trust and reliability, ensuring children know parental words, commands, and love are dependable, while parents must support each other to avoid being undermined. Third, parents must be actively involved in their children's growth, not as distant observers but as hands-on participants in both struggles and successes. Modeling God's intimate involvement, parents should balance engagement without being overbearing, providing support and opportunities for character growth, preparing children for adulthood with confiden