{"id":778364,"date":"2022-05-26T05:00:56","date_gmt":"2022-05-26T10:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/?p=778364"},"modified":"2022-05-24T16:37:14","modified_gmt":"2022-05-24T21:37:14","slug":"kids-need-grace-too","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/blog\/kids-need-grace-too\/","title":{"rendered":"Kids Need Grace, Too"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whether you are a minister who has kids or a minister that works with kids, then you know that kids aren\u2019t always easy. They have meltdowns and big feelings, they struggle to think logically, and they are messy. But kids aren\u2019t just those things; kids are huge blessings (Psalm 127, John 16:21, Psalm 139, Proverbs 17:6, Matthew 18:10, Mark 10:14) and part of God\u2019s design for families (Ephesians 6, Colossians 3:20-21, Proverbs 1:8-9, Genesis 1:28).<\/span><\/p>\n

In raising kids or teaching kids, it\u2019s easy to get frustrated. Schedules get disrupted, meltdowns occur at inconvenient times, and sometimes you just can\u2019t seem to reason with a child. Dare I mention that plans rarely go as expected. Even in all the messiness, kids are not a disruption to our work; they are part of our mission and part of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). God has called us to witness to the ends of the earth, and that starts with the children in our homes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Witnessing to others and loving others requires much sacrifice on our part and a great amount of grace; kids are not an exception. Here are several reasons why kids need grace, and a lot of it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kids’ Brains are Still Growing<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Kids struggle with emotions, in part because their brains are still \u201cunder construction.\u201d A large part of the brain that is still changing is the frontal lobe, which helps regulate and understand emotions, problem-solving, social interactions, and impulsivity. Additionally, children do not develop the ability to think more abstractly until the later middle school to early high school years. Thinking concretely can hinder a child\u2019s ability to process information and situations on a more sophisticated level. Abstract information can be confusing to them. Children also lack the language acquisition and understanding needed to communicate feelings or solve conflict fully. Children should not be chastised for their developmental stage or lack of understanding.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kids are Learning<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Kids have many things to learn: Math, reading, manners, feeding themselves, dressing themselves, toilet training, etc. Their brains are hard at work. But they are also learning rules, and rules have lots of nuances.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n