toddlers and worldview

Toddlers and worldview are not concepts that appear to be
compatible at first glance. The image of a 3–year-old sitting down at a
computer to type a paper on worldview evokes humor, not reality. However, a toddler
does have a worldview. It may be limited, but it is a worldview
nonetheless. This worldview is expressed
in statements like  – I’m thirsty, he took my toy, I want a
cookie, I’m tired, I’m hungry, I don’t want to
. Do you see a pattern here?
A toddler’s worldview tends to begin and end with him. This is not surprising
given that we all start life gratifying the cravings of our flesh (Eph. 2:3). Left unchecked this limited, self-centered
worldview will produce a teenager whose life is still centered upon
himself.

This is why God calls parents in Deuteronomy 6 to teach
their children that God is to dominate their worldview.

 

These commandments
that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.  Impress them on your
children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the
road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Following God’s commands is the opposite of
self-gratification. Even something as
seemingly insignificant as fussing over a cookie is evidence of a worldview.
God says that we are to serve others first. Your child’s natural response,
based upon his worldview, is that he is to be served first. It doesn’t take a child psychologist to see
that conflict will occur when these two worldviews collide.

There is urgency to these verses in Deuteronomy 6. Parents, you don’t want to leave this natural
worldview of self-gratification unchallenged. That is why you must talk about God to your children in every possible
circumstance.

This is a challenge! Please take a moment and make some
comments or ask some questions that we can address in this blog. Let me know where your struggles are in
confronting the natural worldview that comes as standard equipment with your
children.

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