Parenting by Paul David Tripp
Week 15: Principle 14 — You Are Preparing Them to Leave
Read Chapter 14 of Parenting by Paul David Tripp.
Previewing Week 15 of Parenting
Read 3 of 7 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 17-week guide when you’re ready.
Tripp's final principle confronts every parent with a truth that is both obvious and quietly unsettling: the goal of parenting is not to hold your children close but to prepare them to go. This chapter calls you to examine your motivations and your methods in light of that end.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Tripp states plainly that the goal of parenting is to prepare children for independence — to send them out. How does holding this end goal in view from the earliest years shape the way you parent right now?
2.He identifies the danger of parents who parent for their own emotional needs — who need their children to stay close, to need them, to succeed as a reflection of parental worth. How does this kind of parenting harm children? Can you identify any of these tendencies in yourself?
3.Tripp describes the gradual transfer of responsibility and decision-making as a child matures — the movement from tight oversight to trust and eventual independence. How are you currently navigating that gradual release with your child?
a.Are you granting more responsibility and freedom as they demonstrate readiness?
b.Or are you holding on longer than their development requires? What is driving that?