By bro Lee Tian Seng
Some parents do not spend enough time with their children. Fathers may be too busy with their careers or their personal interests. Mothers may be occupied with their jobs or their personal interests, and these take away their time from taking care of their families. We need to remember that God requires parents to be responsible in raising their children and put this task as their priority.
God has commanded fathers to work and provide an income, so that their families have food on the table and a comfortable home.
1 Timothy 5:8 - But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
So, we would expect fathers to spend much of their time at work. However, they need to understand that their goal is not just to provide for the material needs of the family, but also to love their children and provide guidance for their spiritual growth. It is not profitable if fathers just provide for the material needs of their children, but not their spiritual needs.
Matthew 16:26 - For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
Fathers also need to spend time playing, studying, and working with their children to forge a close relationship. Having a close relationship with the children will allow fathers to be more effective in teaching, influencing and mentoring them.
God has commanded mothers to manage the family and take care of their children. Being a mother is a full-time job. Mothers need to prepare food for the family and make the home a comfortable place to live in. On top of these responsibilities, they need to care for their children and guide them. It is usual for children to go to their mothers for comfort and encouragement because they have a closer bond with their mothers who give birth to them.
1 Timothy 5:14 - Therefore I desire that the younger widows marry, bear children, manage the house, give no opportunity to the adversary to speak reproachfully.
Some mothers take on jobs so as to provide more income for the family. This is understandable if the single income from their husband is insufficient to meet the family’s basic needs. Work can be tiring and one will need to put in long hours at work. Who will then take care of the children when mothers are away at work? Some parents choose to get help from their parents. It is not unusual for grandparents to take care of their grandchildren. Others employ a domestic helper or send their children to a childcare centre. It is not wrong to get help, but one must remember that the best person to care for the children is the mother. Should we not give our children the best care? Yes, it is a sacrifice for mothers to stay at home and be full-time homemakers. They will not enjoy the additional income and achieve their personal ambitions. However, if they love their children, then such sacrifices are nothing.
Titus 2:4-5 - that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.
We should seek to give the best to our children whom God has blessed us with. Our children deserve to have fathers who care and mothers who are at home. The sacrifices that parents make are definitely worth it because having good and faithful children is a great reward.
Proverbs 15:20 - A wise son makes a father glad, But a foolish man despises his mother.
Proverbs 23:24-25 - The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, and he who begets a wise child will delight in him. Let your father and your mother be glad, and let her who bore you rejoice.