Raising Kids in the Age of Foolishness

There are enough fools in the world!

Raising Kids in the Age of Foolishness: Inherited or Crowned

Proverbs 14:18 – “The naive inherit foolishness, But the sensible are crowned with knowledge.”

Look closely at the contrast between the naïve and the sensible. It is the difference between something that is passed on passively to another versus a deliberate choice to crown someone with knowledge. If you want to create a foolish child, do nothing, and you will hand down your foolishness to the child. Children usually imitate the foolishness of their parents. Foolishness can be generational. The reason I say “can be” is because thankfully children do have a choice to not repeat the foolishness of their parents. Parents are responsible for what they pass on to their children. A good name, wise habits, and deep faith are far more valuable than silver and gold. The adage of our day is that I want my children to be better off than I am. I want them to be more successful than I am. We are missing the point of parenting. Solomon received wisdom from God, and God threw in riches for good measure. But had he merely received riches, Solomon would have been the poorer for it. In fact, a person better have some wisdom if he is going to have money or property. Parents need to redefine what a “good life” is.

Some parents say they will refrain from teaching their children about faith so that they can decide for themselves when they get older. This is foolishness and that is what the child will become if this is their parental approach. For Solomon wisdom does not exist without God. The beginning of wisdom is to fear the Lord. A parent cannot crown their children with knowledge unless they possess that knowledge. The act of placing a crown on someone’s head is deliberate and intentional. This is the only kind of parenting that works. The parent who “plays it by ear” will see childhood slip away and before you know it the child is grown, and it is too late to make them wise. Solomon is giving parents a parenting plan. Work the plan. Each day impart wisdom to your child. Each day teach them something valuable. By doing so you will crown them with knowledge, knowledge they can use for all their lives. THERE ARE ENOUGH FOOLS IN THE WORLD.