Parenting by Paul David Tripp
Week 2: Principle 1 — You Are an Ambassador
Read Chapter 1 of Parenting by Paul David Tripp.
Previewing Week 2 of Parenting
Read 3 of 7 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 17-week guide when you’re ready.
Tripp's first principle reframes your entire identity as a parent: you are not the owner of your children — you are an ambassador of the King. Let that identity challenge and free you as you discuss.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Tripp draws a sharp distinction between a parent who acts as an *owner* of their children and one who acts as an *ambassador* on God's behalf. What are the practical differences between those two postures in everyday parenting moments?
2.An ambassador's authority is always delegated — it belongs to the one who sent them. How does understanding your parental authority as delegated from God change the way you hold it, exercise it, and feel the weight of it?
3.Tripp argues that many parenting struggles — anger, anxiety, over-control — flow from acting as though our children belong to us rather than to God. Can you identify a moment when you parented out of an ownership mentality? What did that look like?