When your child does something wrong are they to blame, or is it the influence of their friends?

In his series on things Christian parents should remember Robin Barfield encourages us to consider both the sin within each child as well as the way in which outside pressures are to blame

What do you do when your child misbehaves? Let’s say another child has taken their favourite truck and their response is to give their opposing number an almighty whack around the chops. Or you discover that your child is in a group bullying another at school. How do we understand these situations as Christian parents?

I could share many stories and examples of our children being ‘naughty’. For me, it’s the trickiest situation to handle. We all want to respond correctly, not being harsh parents, but also not overly lenient. Having a framework to understand what is going on is very important.

The first step is to recognise that our children are sinful

The first step is to recognise that our children are sinful. The Bible is ……