Potty Training

Potty Training can be a beast!  I have a lot of friends, family, and even myself, that have really struggled with potty training.  My problem was that we started and then stopped, then started, then stopped.  We had the poor kid so confused she didn’t know what was right.  We begin potty training at an early age.  We SAY it will be easier once they are in underwear, but in personally, I think that diapers make life a lot easier. 

We started training our oldest at 18 months old.  She wanted to learn so bad.  We had a new born and it got pushed off and off – and finally at 2.25 she was trained.  It took forever because she was so confused where if we had just stuck with it at first, it would have been a lot easier for her to understand.  It would be really weird to see a 4 year old still in diapers, or a 6 year old or a 20 year old…  some have to be for health reasons, but for those that are healthy and able to control their bladders, it would be strange. 

It is something that we have to do- potty train our children.  Why then do we neglect some of the just as important training?  We neglect to train our children in the ways of the Lord.  It is written in the Bible multiple times: 

Proverbs 22:6; “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”

Ephesians 6:4; “Fathers, do not exasperate your children, instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”

Deuteronomy 4:9; “Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live.  Teach them to your children and to their children after them.”

Deuteronomy 11:19; “Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”

We need to train all children up in the ways of the Lord.  They may not be biological, but when you learn something as a young one, they when they are old, they will not turn from it. 

I am really excited about VBS times and day camps at churches; I think that they are so needed and that everyone that can, needs to volunteer for them – it is actually talked about in the Bible.  Our kids are our responsibility, but so are our neighbor’s kids and our enemy’s kids.  The Chinese proverb that says something like “it takes a village to raise a child” had it right.  The child is going to learn from all its surroundings, I want to live my life for Jesus so that when kids look at me, they see Him.