Did you know the verses about training a child in the way they should go is actually talking about career training. Training a child to use their abilities, talents and resources to make Jesus known is a big stewardship.
I am just about to finish Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (which is absolutely fascinating!) and he has gathered a ton of research and basically come to the conclusion that people are good at things because of the time put into it. It’s not about how gifted someone is, rather it’s about the amount of time they had to devote. He shows example after example of how the opportunities each person was given gave them the gift of time to devote to something that then led to success. So devoted practice time equals success. But of course, we see that all over Proverbs. Seeking, or putting in effort leads to success.
So if we want our kids to succeed at things, they just need time devoted to it. So our kids can do anything. That’s a scary, weighty and inspiring thought. So how do we decide? Is it what we want them to do or what we think they would like to do? Or is it what fits in the schedule or what we can afford?
My husband and I have been wrestling through this question and as a result started a Kids Development Journal.
We are still young in the process but I am grateful to have a grid to help us navigate what activities to put our time, energy and money toward since there are so many good things. But I believe keeping the end goal in mind will help us not forfeit the best because of the good. Because really our kids development is not about us but about being good stewards of the little souls the Lord entrusted to us.
Here’s a free printable to help you work through the same things we are with our kiddos. To download just enter your email and click the image of page one below.
Janet Perez Eckles 
Shawn Akers 
Abby Trivett 
