Thanks for sharing this post with me, Kimarie!

When our kids get out of control we stop everything else that we are doing. The goal is to get things back in order with the children. Depending on how severe the problems are, see if you can order food in or perhaps just use food from the freezer, don’t worry about getting behind on housework and certainly don’t leave the house. The kids need 100% consistency.

First pray, pray, pray. It doesn’t matter what we do as parents ultimately God must work for our children to change. We can just be faithful with what He commands us to do and we leave the results up to him. Remember this when things get tough. You are not responsible for your children’s actions. You are responsible for how you respond to those actions.

Now, sit down with the whole family and mom and dad should ask forgiveness from the children for not teaching and training them properly. Use scripture to show them where you were wrong. (“Train up a child in the way he should go.” “Fathers, provoke not your children to wrath, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” and more.) Tell them that you have done something wrong and that it has negatively affected them, but that you are sorry and you are all going to work together to make it better, but it is going to be hard work. Make sure that there will be big changes for them and that what has been acceptable will not be in the future.

Then give your children one rule, yes only one. They must obey mom and dad, that’s it. Show them in scripture where this is required, i.e. “Children obey your parents in the Lord for this is right.” Now there are 3 ways that they must obey in order for it to be true obedience. They must obey quickly, cheerfully and completely. You may want to post a sign on the fridge (my parents did that when I was little) with scripture, so they know that you have told them what is required. Even if they can’t read you can tell them what the sign says and point it out when they don’t obey.

Now here is the hard part. Every time one of your children does not obey quickly, cheerfully or completely you must stop what you are doing and correct them. Then if they don’t obey as they are being corrected, you need to correct them again and again and again. It will seem that you are spending your whole day correcting your children. That is OK (and why I suggested having food brought in or cooking ahead and eating out of your freezer), your responsibility is to respond correctly to your children’s sin. God commands it. “He who withholds his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently.”

This won’t last forever and the more consistent that you are the more quickly this phase will pass. We call it Olive boot camp and at our house boot camp has never lasted more than a couple of days. You will probably have longer because this is something to which your children are unaccustomed, but don’t despair. Just be faithful in what God has called you to do and He will bless your efforts.

Awesome job on the post!

I also really like the scriptures that tie it all together!

Warmly,
Georgiann

Thanks!