Holy Fathers of the Church on Child Rearing

Parents and teachers, keep your children free from whims, for if you don’t, they will soon disregard the price of your love, contaminate their hearts with hatred, and lose the holy, sincere, and warm heartfelt love too early. When they grow up, they will complain with you bitterly for having pampered them too much and for your caving in to their whims. Whims are germs of corruption of the heart, the corrosion of heart, the moth that spoils love, the seed of anger, and an abomination before the Lord.

Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt

 

If good teaching is imprinted on an immature soul, then no one will be able to scrape it off when that soul becomes mature and inflexible, as it often happens with a wax seal. Here is a frightful and trembling creature that is afraid of your look and your word, of everything you do. Use your power over it to do what is good. You shall be the first to enjoy the good fruit of your effort if you rear a good son, and then God will enjoy it, too. You are doing it for your own sake.

Saint John Chrysostom

 

Those willing to rear their children assiduously should bring them up in austerity and hardships so as, having excelled in studies and behaviour, the children would enjoy the fruit of their labour in the end.

Saint Nilus of Sinai

 

Be aware that your life, rather than anything you say, will matter the most to your daughter.

Saint Ignatius (Bryanchaninov)

 

You should not use extreme punishments, as Apostle also commands, Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged. (Col. 3: 21). Find the middle way, as mentioned above.

Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk

 

It’s true that the contemporary methods of upbringing make children more inclined to wilfulness. I’m often surprised at seeing how arrogantly and heedlessly young children behave in the presence of their parents, while the parents appear to be too indecisive to touch them.

Saint Philaret of Moscow

 

Indeed, it is difficult to keep the young unscathed by the torrent of libertinism that has covered the face of the earth and drowned the human mind, darkened by unbelief, in its dirty waters. Sow the seeds of Orthodox faith in your children’s hearts with God’s help. Water those seeds with the fear of God that leads to love through following of the Lord’s commandments. The seeds of piety sown in the soil of their young hearts will likely bring forth the fruit of holiness and strong Orthodox faith.

Saint Macarius of Optina

 

A loving word never annoys. An arrogant word shall yield no fruit. You must pray all day and all night for the Lord to let your children avoid dangers. God is merciful!

Saint Theophan the Recluse

Avatar photo

About the author


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Know everything about Orthodoxy? We can tell you a bit more!

Subscribe for our weekly newsletter not to miss the most interesting articles on our blog.

Spelling error report

The following text will be sent to our editors: