Kid’s Corner

Why You Should Obey Your Parents, by Mrs. Barbara McCain

The most important reason you should obey your parents is because God commands it.  In the Bible it says:  Children, obey your parents in the Lord:  For this is right.  Ephesians 6:1

God gives us commands because He knows what is best for us.  A command is like when a police officer says “STOP” if he sees a car coming when we are getting ready to cross the street.  He does not want us to argue with him, to question him or to disobey him.  He wants us to obey what he has said because it is the best thing for us.  If we were to disobey or to ignore his command, we might find out in a very painful way that what he had said was right for us. 

God’s commands are the same way.  He knows what is right for us.   And because He knows what is right for us, He says “Obey your parents.”  He knows that if we disobey our parents or ignore them, we are in danger, just as painful as getting hit by a car.  We might not always understand what they tell us to do, just like we might not always see the approaching car at a crosswalk, but we need to obey.   God gave us the gift of parents so that they could help to guide us, keep us safe and teach us life lessons. 

Many times these lessons mean that our learning comes through obeying.  We will learn how to be an organized person by doing our chores on time each day.  Being organized means being more successful as an adult.  We learn important values in life that will make us a better person and even a happier child if we obey.  Obeying also means we will not suffer as much punishment or disappointment in our lives right now and in the future.  The child that throws a fit to try to get something they want, instead of being patient and obeying their parents, will often find that they lose that which they wanted.  Obeying is always the best and happiest way for you and for your parents. 

Parents are proud of children that obey.  They trust them more and more every time they see obedience.  That means they will give you more and more privileges and responsibilities.  That is something YOU can be proud of, too!  One very special way to please your parents is by IMMEDIATE obedience.  In our house we had a saying, “Delayed obedience is disobedience.”  It is not enough to say, “I was going to do it later.”  Later might be too late when it comes to obedience.  You never know what special thing Dad or Mom had planned if you had obeyed immediately.

Taekwondo is a special place to learn how to obey.  We can not always understand why our instructors ask us to line up correctly, but they know it will teach us obedience AND protect others during warm up time.  We might not like to obey when the instructor tells us to do the same movement ten times, but it will make our muscles stronger and help us to memorize the movement.  We might not want to stop running when the instructor tells us to stop, but there could be danger in our path, like a student practicing his kicking. 

Obedience in Taekwondo is for our good, it is right and it is what is best for you.   When we learn to obey at Taekwondo class, it is often easier to obey at home when our parents ask us to do something.  Next time Mom or Dad asks you to obey, try smiling, saying “Yes” to their command, and then doing it right away.  See what big smiles your parents get on their faces as you do.  Obeying not only makes you a better person, it makes for a happier family!