Parenting by Paul David Tripp
Week 11: Principle 10 — You Need to Give Your Children What They Need, Not What They Want
Read Chapter 10 of Parenting by Paul David Tripp.
Previewing Week 11 of Parenting
Read 3 of 7 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 17-week guide when you’re ready.
Every parent knows the tension: your child wants one thing, and you know they need another. Tripp's tenth principle explores the deep wisdom and costly love required to stay faithful to what is truly good, even when it is unpopular.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Tripp argues that giving children what they want — rather than what they need — is actually a failure of love, even when it feels kind. What is the difference between kindness and indulgence in parenting?
2.He describes the cultural pressure on parents to be liked by their children, to keep them happy, and to avoid their displeasure. How does this pressure show up in your own parenting? What does it cost your children when you give in to it?
3.Tripp points to God's own parenting of us as a model — he gives us what we need (often difficulty, discipline, and delay) rather than what we want. How has God's "withholding" of something you wanted been an act of love in your own life?
a.How does remembering your own experience as a child of God help you hold firm with your own children?