I say all of that because, I have found in raising children there are a lot of things that the Bible does not speak specifically to. It gives us a great set of principles and then says raise them. There is no labor manual in the Bible. I'm pretty sure C-sections were not performed during the years when the Bible was written, so many of the babies that are able to survive because of them today would have probably died back then. So does this mean that needed C-sections that save babies lives are outside of God's will? Well, if you make that argument you need to go protest the hospitals that are allowing doctors to treat cancer patients too. I don't think that Luke was condemned for having lack of faith in God for being a physician. You know he wrote one of the gospels under the Holy Spirit's inspiration. There is no babywise section there either. It never shows Sarah laying little Isaac down to cry himself to sleep. To my knowledge it never tells us about a rocking chair either. What do you do? I'll tell you one thing that I don't think is smart: raising any book to the equivalent of the Bible in instruction. It seems many of us christian parents have done this with Babywise. Christian author does not equal inspired author. I'm not saying the book is wrong. I don't know. I will say that some of the instruction tends to make parents go against nurturing instinct, but what do I know. My B.S. degree is in physical education not child raising. But that in it self is a good point. Must we really be educated to know how to care for our newborn baby. Sometimes I think all the new found insights just make us question our God-given instincts. I can't imagine
God handing Adam and Eve a manual and saying "now Eve make sure you read this thoroughly prior to Cain's birth. Man what the heck would she do when she got to the section about feeding every three hours? She better learn quick on how to read the Sun. Or maybe clocks came about quicker than what history says. Now I seem to have contradicted myself, because just a few types ago I was saying how medical knowledge is a good thing, and that God doesn't condemn physicians and stuff like that. But I think there is a difference between medical science and child raising. Who knows? Anyway I kinda went off on a side road for a little bit. All of the stuff about the question I have with Babywise are mine alone. In fact we still use some of the methods. I just have some questions that I'm not afraid to ask anymore. Pray that the babywise god will not get me. If you see it differently, and I'm sure many of you good parents do, I will not ask you to meet me somewhere to fight over it. The second paragraph was just illustrating my point about unspecified issues that we face as christians.
3 comments:
I don't think there will ever be a book, apart from the Bible, that will offer a set of solutions that will be "right" for all families. Each of our families has such different children with different needs and problems and personalities. Yet, I DO think the Bible, with it's myriad of records of different families gives us much insight into how the Lord works through parents to show us in ways to raise our children. Each of us as parents much fervently seek the Lord in prayer for His leadership and wisdom, recognizing that Christ is the true Head of our household and His leadership is that for which we most seek. Then we trust as we read His Word and fellowship with other believers, the truth of the Word and the communion of the Holy Spirit through our brothers and sisters will speak to our hearts to guide us. Also, we should respect the "hoary head" and seek out the wisdom of those older Christian men and women who may have great insight in childrearing to share with us. If their adult children are walking with the Lord and are great examples of the faith, it's quite likely these older people are just the people we want to ask about child-rearing!
First of all, thank you for leaving a comment. I don't get to many, so its nice to see what someone else thinks. I do have one question. What is the "hoary head"? Also, I did mean Biblical principles when I said using the principles we have to make decisions. I completely agree that I can learn so much from older christian parents. The comments about babywise are sensitive to anybody that has followed their methods. I'm not saying that they are all bad. I do think they have helped already overly stressed and dedicated parents feel false guilt about some things that can not be derived from any principle I have seen in the Bible. It just seems like some good 'sanctified common sense' could help us more than set in stone formulas for all babies. Just a side note. I have heard that girl babies do much better with babywise method of letting them cry themselves to sleep than boys.
The Bible refers twice to the "hoary head" speaking of an old person.
I, too, have seen some parents try to follow rigid "rules" from books when they would have been more at peace (and their babies as well)if they had not taken the advice of a book written by Christians as if it were "inspired", as you say.
Raising babies is a difficult journey for new parents and will be something that will lead you to either walk in the Spirit or after the flesh...one or the other!
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