3 Back to School Tips for Dad – What’s Important and What’s Not

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Hold on a minute… I thought Christmas time was the most wonderful time of the year! Well, it is. But back to school now rivals Christmas for merchandise! Let me tell you about all the stuff you will need to prepare for if you have school age children getting ready for back to school (I have three).

What You Will Need:

This is your reader’s digest version of what you will need to plan and prepare for before your children go back to school:

– The clothing – The backpacks – The Sneakers – The Musical instruments – The dreaded lists of supplies – The Texas Instruments T183 calculator – Readjusting sleep times – The lunch money or lunch boxes – And even more stuff if your children happen to go to a private or charter school!

But, what about the Spiritual preparation? Many us us forget about this most important part of back to school!

Psalm 127: 1-4

Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat— for he grants sleep to those he loves.

Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one’s youth.

So here are 3 Back to School Tips for Dad – What’s Important and What’s Not

1. Every child is home schooled.

Whether you send your kids off to school everyday or not they are still going to get the biggest chunk of their education from the life they see at home. Mark my words!

I hear many Christians who are concerned that there is no prayer in schools but I am more concerned that there is no prayer in the home.

Deuteronomy 6: 5-9

Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

The message, the truth, the life; must be yours before you can pass it on to the kids. If not you will be dispensing:

– Religion

– Rules

– Regulations

You Can Keep It!

These things always leads to rebellion. So, if your faith amounts to a bunch of do’s and don’ts, dress codes, and behaviors – you can keep it. It’s like trying to teach your kids to swim by correspondence.

Proverbs 22: 6

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

Train a child according to his bent, in their own unique way. Dads need to be involved; don’t try to remove what God put there. Steer it, guide it, encourage and develop it. And please, do not make comparisons! Each child is his or her unique person that God created, discover it and help them.

2. Communication is critical.

When your kids want to talk – you need to take time to listen. Dads,  it is vital that you stay on top of what is going on in your kid’s life. Things such as:

– What is being taught at school? And what friendships are growing or dissolving and why?  What do they enjoy, what do they dread.

Are there any questions you can answer? They need to know that