Reading, ‘Riting and ‘Rithmetic are the three R’s most parents think of as school starts back up. But the home is and always will be the primary education front for the next generation. As George Will documented so well in his article, “The 9/91 Factor,” kids spend only 9% of their time from birth to 18 in school and 91% elsewhere. Thus, school simply supplements what kids are learning “elsewhere”. Dads and moms are charged to accept responsibility as the primary educators in their children’s lives.
The 3-R’s of education in the home are:
Relationship
- Healthy relationship is taught daily by Dad and Mom loving each other;
Religion
- Grounding in church attendance, study and discussion enables a maturing faith;
Rules
- Clear boundaries that teach discipline to obey and the reality of consequences in life.
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 on 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. – Deuteronomy 6:5-9. Moses conveys a 24/7 educational responsibility. The responsibility of dads and moms in the home is reiterated broadly in Malachi 2:15 – “…And what does the one God seek? Godly offspring. So Be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful to the wife of your youth.” Marriage and the home are foundational for the next generation. When there is a fracture in the foundation or when the associated responsibilities are abdicated to the schools, a generation is put at risk. Dads and moms are charged to take care of the 3-R’s of education in the home.
Be engaged in raising a godly generation by emphasizing the three R’s in your home and the schools will be able to focus on what they do best.
Prayer guide: Thank You Lord for the foundational design You have provided through marriage and family. I too often have abdicated responsibilities for the 3-R’s of education to the schools and even the church. Forgive me. Equip me to step up in these areas, to engage with my bride in raising the kids You have blessed us with. Help me be the dad You call me to be, the dad the next generation needs. Thank You Lord. Amen.
A faithful father accepts responsibility for the 3-R’s of education in the home.
