There are a lot of ways we can do that, isn’t there? The one thing I struggle with? I “express displeasure regularly.”1 I don’t want to, but often when I see or hear things that violate our rules, I get upset. Do you sometimes feel like your kids are pushing your buttons on purpose? Seriously, it’s hard, isn’t it? But we need to make sure that we’re not spending the majority of our time criticizing or showing our kids anger or displeasure. Don’t let them suck you in. In my experience, the bad looks and anger “provoke bad attitudes” and more bad decisions. The only way we can change that is “when they find pleasure in” being around us. That’s why Ephesians 6:4 is important: “Fathers, don’t provoke your children to anger.” Remember: “Love is patient and kind.”

1This Parent Minute is based on “Six Ways Parents Destroy Their Kids Without Trying” by Michael Pearl, NoGreaterJoy.org

Suggested Reading: Ephesians 6:4, 1 Corinthians 13:4-7