True Training

 “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭22:6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

The scriptural pedagogy of parenting is clear on the combination of learning and culture for all parties involving in the execution of the training curriculum. While the “Train up a child in the way he should go” underscored the learning portion of the curriculum, the “when he is old he will not depart from it” emphasized the culture. Unfortunately, the emphasis on culture has been dangerously downplayed by those who are divinely engaged in the business of parenting today. And in order to adjust the curriculum to adopt the new mindset, the learning portion has to be interpreted differently, as merely ‘guide along’, ‘counsel smoothly', ‘educate softly’, etc; but not necessarily ‘train up’. Obviously, training up a child involves a call to learning up for parents. In fact, the ‘learning up’ of parents is always a strong motivation for the ‘training up’ of a child. And with the consistency of learning, relearning and unlearning for both the child and parents, the culture of honesty, modesty, humility, and dedication is developed. Invariably, true training for both the trainer and trainee adopts the culture of learning by example; and it is always hard for a trainee to depart from a training passionately taught and lived by a trustworthy trainer.