CELLO - ages 14 to 17 - growing in WISDOM
Character and Conviction
As our children grow more and more toward adulthood, our role with them changes. Just as they have been learning not to coast on our faith, they have to develop their own convictions, hopefully based on the foundation of Scripture we have been helping them establish. They also need to make decisions that are not just to please us but because of their own Holy Spirit-infused character. We can continue to help them grow in this through conversations about applying Scripture to situations in their lives and through exposure to other believers who have made Christ-honoring decisions in difficult circumstances. They also can practice applying Scriptural principles to real-life situations according to their own convictions.
Eloquence of expression
Our teenagers should be developing their ability to winsomely share their ideas with others, including in matters of faith. While they may have learned how to share the gospel or their testimony during the VIOLA years, this is the time to refine that, becoming more comfortable with speaking to others about their faith, and learning to do it in a way that shows gentleness and respect, but also with firm belief in the truth. It is also an ideal time to introduce the skills of logic (the art of thinking) and rhetoric (the art of communication).
Leading with love
Leadership is not just for those who have strong personalities or who are gifted speakers. Leadership involves setting an example for those around you, even when everyone else is going the other way. It also involves serving others, following the example of Christ. Even students who are shy and unassuming can be this kind of leader! Providing opportunities for our teenage children to serve others, and to lead others, can build confidence that they will carry into adulthood - and they may surprise us with leadership qualities we didn't see before.
Lifelong learning
Just as we want our children to be able to teach themselves and become more independent academically, they need to learn how to feed themselves spiritually. These are ideal years to move our children from relying on their childhood devotional habits and carefully laid out Bible studies, to planning out their own times of Bible reading and prayer, using more adult study aids.
Ownership and obedience
In these years before they leave home, if they have not already, our children must take ownership for their own faith journey, and make the choice to obey God in all things, apart from our influence, nagging, or pleading. We as parents in these years move into a parenting role that is more like that of a counselor
Summing this up
The CELLO years are a time of gaining wisdom, maturing and preparation. It’s an important time of solidifying one’s beliefs and convictions, and even putting those to the test in the safe environment of home. It’s a time to learn how to think and reason well, and how to apply those lessons to their own oral and written communication skills - but in a way that shows humility and grace, lessons also to be learned in growing their leadership skills. These are years of learning to take full responsibility for their learning, their faith, and their relationship with God as they prepare to move into the adult world, whether in the university setting, the workplace, or a family of their own.
Putting it all together
Our responsibility before the Lord as parents is to parent intentionally so as to lead our children into maturity in the Lord. We start by nurturing our own relationship with the Lord in such a way that we help our children to do the same, committing both the words and the understanding to our hearts. We also do this through a lifestyle that allows and encourages us to make spiritual conversations a regular occurrence in our homes.
This begins with birth through age nine (a time of growing wonder), continues through the upper elementary and middle school years (a time when their world is growing) and culminates in the high school years (a time of growing in wisdom and maturity).
I said before that one of the reasons I am such a staunch proponent of homeschooling is because it creates more time for parents and children to spend together to create this kind of environment. Another reason I so encourage Christian parents to consider this is because of the flexibility that homeschooling provides academically that helps us to intertwine the journey to Christian maturity and wisdom with all other learning. Let’s take a look at what this holistic approach to learning can include.
Click here to read about the framework where this all takes place.
This begins with birth through age nine (a time of growing wonder), continues through the upper elementary and middle school years (a time when their world is growing) and culminates in the high school years (a time of growing in wisdom and maturity).
I said before that one of the reasons I am such a staunch proponent of homeschooling is because it creates more time for parents and children to spend together to create this kind of environment. Another reason I so encourage Christian parents to consider this is because of the flexibility that homeschooling provides academically that helps us to intertwine the journey to Christian maturity and wisdom with all other learning. Let’s take a look at what this holistic approach to learning can include.
Click here to read about the framework where this all takes place.