“Teach your children to choose the right path, and when they are older, they will remain upon it” (Proverbs 22:6).
The proverb invites us to teach our children according to each one’s unique “bent,” their natural inclination and learning style. And if we work in concert with our children’s uniqueness, they won’t depart from their God-given bent even as they age. If we were working with wood to fashion a bow for hunting, we would bend the wood in the way it is formed rather than to try to refashion it by bending it in the opposite direction. The wisdom of Proverbs 22:6 is to find and follow our child’s natural bent. This is not a guarantee of success, but a practical guideline that leads to parenting well.
Dan B. Allender, How Children Raise Parents: The Art of Listening to Your Family (Waterbrook Press, Colorado Springs, CO: 2003), 31.
