'Train up a child in the way he should go' - doesn't mean what you think!
Parenting is no easy task. Charles Spurgeon once said, “He who thinks it easy to bring up a family never had one of his own. A mother who trains her children aright had need be wiser than Solomon , for his son turned out a fool.” Thankfully, God has not left parents to grope about for advice in their exalted task. Scripture is full of guidance. However, it seems that one of the most commonly-quoted parenting verses is frequently subjected to misunderstanding. “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). ( ESV , NASB ) The verse is predominantly understood in a few ways. The verse is a promise of blessing consequent of godly parenting. In other words, if a parent raises a child up according to how he should be raised (e.g. hearing the gospel, godliness , godly example), then that child will trust in Christ and live a godly life even into old age . This rendering has hampered many a parent as they watch perplexed whe