Proverbs 29:15
“The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.”
One of the greatest mistakes that many parents make is they leave their children alone because they “trust” them. Years ago, I had an older gentlemen give me some advice before I even had children. He said, “Never trust your children.” I wish every parent would heed that advice because “a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.” One of your responsibilities as a parent is to be sure that your children are safe. A child left to themselves are not safe because that is when the Devil will do his work in their hearts. With this thought in mind, let me give you several areas where you should never leave your child alone.
First, don’t leave your child alone in choosing friends. Every parent needs to know with whom their children are friends. There are going to be times as a parent when you will have to tell your child that they can’t be friends with someone. This may sound harsh, but many good children have been ruined by a bad friend. Your children are too young to know who they are to befriend. It is your duty to teach them what type of friends to have by carefully controlling their circle of friends.
Second, don’t leave your child alone in decision making. Children don’t have the privilege of knowing where decisions will take them. As a parent, you should teach your children how to make decisions. When they are young, you should make every decision for them. When they get older, give them leeway in making decisions, but veto the bad ones. As they make decisions, teach them why a decision was good or bad.
Third, don’t leave your child alone with digital technology. One of the great mistakes many parents make in this technology age is they allow their children to be alone with cell phones, the internet or interactive gaming. The Devil will use the digital technology to get to your children with people who are dangerous to their safety or spirituality. Never leave your child alone with digital technology! The rule of your house should be that that they can only use digital technology in your presence.
Fourth, don’t leave your child alone in their walk with God. Don’t just assume that your child is reading the Scriptures every day. You need to ask them consistently if they have had their personal time with God. Ask them what they read and keep track of it. Don’t just ask them what they read, but also ask them what they learned and from what verse they learned that lesson. You will have a better chance of your children turning out right if they have a personal time with God daily.
Fifth, don’t leave your child alone! I wish parents would understand the dangers of children being alone. I believe a parent needs to be home when the children get home from school. You may think that one hour every day won’t harm them, but much temptation can come their way at that time. Trust me, if the Devil knows they are going to be alone every day at the same time, he will use that time to destroy your children. He will always start with things that seem harmless to the child that you would never allow if you were with them. Children need their parent’s presence at all times. If you don’t want your children to bring you shame, you will be wise to heed the advice of the verse above and always make sure they are with you or with a responsible adult whom you trust.