Father, help all parents to bring up their children in the way of the Lord. Help all children to grow in the love and fear of the Lord.
PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE
The teacher should allow students to recall their knowledge of retirement as presented during the previous week’s lesson.
MEMORY VERSE
“And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” – Ephesians 6:4
BIBLE PASSAGE
Ephesians 6:1-4 KJV (Eph 6:1) Children, it is your Christian duty to obey your parents, for this is the right thing to do. (Eph 6:2) “Respect your father and mother” is the first commandment that has a promise added: (Eph 6:3) “so that all may go well with you, and you may live a long time in the land.” (Eph 6:4) Parents, do not treat your children in such a way as to make them angry. Instead, raise them with Christian discipline and instruction.
LESSON INTRODUCTION
Building parents-children bridges can be an uphill task. It is obvious that there is a generational gap between parents and their children. When we compare two generations and when there is a considerable difference in the lifestyles, habits, likes and dislikes of the people belonging to these separate times, problems due to the age gap arise. It is no secret that these days, these gaps are widening by width and bounds. This lack of understanding of social, moral, political, musical, fashion or religious opinion leads to a lack of acceptance which is the primary reason families break.
TEXT REVIEW
Ephesians 6:1-4 The first commandment in the Book of Ephesians chapter 6 is for the children to obey their parents in the Lord. Ephesians 6:1 and the validity of that directive is that “It is right” TEACHER’S ACTIVITY: Identify other directives in the Book of Ephesians 6:1-4 and the benefits of following the directives. i. __ ii. __ iii. __ LESSON OUTLINES:
LESSON OUTLINE 1: CAUSES OF RELATIONAL GAP BETWEEN PARENTS AND CHILDREN
NOTE: See how to handle this outline under the activities below: i. Generational Gap: Generational gap means being born and living around the same time, also known as ‘coevals. When there is a significant gap of time among two coevals, it is defined as a ‘generational gap’. A generation gap or generational gap is a difference of opinions between one generation and another regarding beliefs, politics, or values. 1 Kings 12:3-10. ii. Culture Shift: Modification of a way of life through innovation, invention, discovery, or contact with other societies. It derives from the experience of encountering new ways of doing things that challenge the basic belief that your doing things is the “correct” way (Genesis 29:25-26). iii. Need for Space: Parents feel protective about their children and they like to be involved and be informed about the things that are happening in their children’s lives. However, the younger generation feels a need for space as they are discovering and experimenting with new things. Judges 14:1-3. iv. Thought-Flow Differences: Parents’ morals and views of life can be very different from their children’s. This can lead to either imposition of ideals/decisions or friction/resistance on the part of the children. Judges 14:3. v. Little or no Attention/Support: The busy schedules of many parents, as a result of their careers or other engagements, have severed the relationship they have with their children. Children from such homes suffer from lack of attention, emotional/psychological support, etc. 1 Samuel 16:11.
1 Kings 12:3-10 1Ki 12:3 The people of the northern tribes sent for him, and then they all went together to Rehoboam and said to him, 1Ki 12:4 “Your father Solomon treated us harshly and placed heavy burdens on us. If you make these burdens lighter and make life easier for us, we will be your loyal subjects.” 1Ki 12:5 “Come back in three days and I will give you my answer,” he replied. So they left. 1Ki 12:6 King Rehoboam consulted the older men who had served as his father Solomon’s advisers. “What answer do you advise me to give these people?” he asked. 1Ki 12:7 They replied, “If you want to serve these people well, give a favourable answer to their request, and they will always serve you loyally.” 1Ki 12:8 But he ignored the advice of the older men and went instead to the young men who had grown up with him and who were now his advisers. 1Ki 12:9 “What do you advise me to do?” he asked. “What shall I say to the people who are asking me to make their burdens lighter?” 1Ki 12:10 They replied, “This is what you should tell them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist!’
Colossian 3:21 Col 3:21 Parents, do not irritate your children, or they will become discouraged. Prov 22:6 Pro 22:6 Teach children how they should live, and they will remember it all their life. ACTIVITIES: i. Teacher should divide the class into five groups. ii. Teacher should give the following points to each group to discuss how they can lead to gap between parents and the children. For instance: a. Group 1: Generational gap. b. Group 2: Cultural Shift. C. Group 3: Need for Space. d. Group 4: Thought-flow Differences. e. Group 5; Lack of Adequate Attention. iii. Where the group do not understand the point, the teacher should briefly explain the meaning to the group. iv. Each group should present their points to the class with a speaker representing each group. v. Teacher could give an extra point to support the submissions of each group. NOTE: The above represent class activity. No other Class Activity 1.
A. Treat Lesson Outline 2 as that of outline 1 above as stated under the activities below. The reality of a generation gap is only in terms of age. If parents put aside their ego and look at things from an entirely different perspective, they would perhaps never have a gap between themselves and their children. Here are some tips on how parents can bridge the gap between themselves and their children: i. Communicate constantly:When parents communicate respectfully at an opportune time with their children, they are letting them know that they are willing to do all it takes to lessen the age gap and understand things from their points of view. Proverbs 25:11. ii. Listen and understand: Parents sometimes tend to talk too idealist. They should rather learn to listen, and let their children voice their opinions for better understanding. Nagging or giving lectures all the time is not a good idea. Colossians 3:21, Ephesian 6:4. iii. Be open-minded: When parents open their hearts, they look at things in a new perspective. This is very important if they must understand their children’s own priorities and habits. 1 Thessalonians 5:21. iv. Learn to accept: Parents have to first accept that they “lived” in a world different from today’s. Therefore, they have to make the effort to understand and accept their children’s reasonable perspectives and priorities. Ecclesiastes 3:1. v. Break through your imperfection and fear: Parents should realise that they are not perfect just as their children are not also perfect. Let not your parenting be done out of fear but in love. Parents must model God’s love with their words and actions. Proverbs 22:6.
B. ACTIVITIES: Give the following points to the groups so identified: Group 1: Regular communication. Group 2: Listening and understanding. Group 3: Open-minded. Group 4: Learning and understanding the reality of the present age. Group 5: Accepting the reality of imperfection of ideas of parents and the issue of fears. C. Each group should explain to the class how each of the factors can bridge the gap between the parents and the children. D. Teacher should prepare to assist any group whose answers are not satisfactory enough. E. Teacher should explain the role which age differences and ego could play in the expansion of the gap between the parents and their children.
NOTE: The above also represents the class activity. Therefore, there is no class activity 2.
SUMMARY: Allowing a gap to exist between the children and parents could have a devastating effect on the proper upbringing of the child. Therefore, any identified gap should be closed and bridged.
CONCLUSION: Building the gap between parents and children involves doing what is needed to be done as parents by becoming a little more understanding and accepting what their children see as their ‘world’.
EVALUATION: What are the factors responsible for gap between parents and children? How can the gap be bridged?
CLOSING PRAYER: Father, help parents with divine wisdom to bridge the gap between them and their children.
ASSIGNMENT: List five devastating effects of allowing or tolerating gap between parents and children. Action Point PS: If you would like to have an online course on any of the courses that you found on this blog, I will be glad to do that on an individual and corporate level, I will be very glad to do that because I have trained several individuals and groups and they are doing well in their various fields of endeavour. Some of those that I have trained include staff of Dangote Refinery, FCMB, Zenith Bank, and New Horizons Nigeria among others. Please come on Whatsapp and let’s talk about your training. You can reach me on Whatsapp HERE. Please note that I will be using Microsoft Team to facilitate the training.
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