Prov. 31:1-9 (NKJV)
Amy Chua made The New York Times Best Sellers list in 2011 for her book, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. Chua is a mother of two girls, Sophia and Lulu. She is also a law professor at Yale Law School and is married to Jeb Rubenfeld, another professor at Yale Law School. Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother is a memoir of her journey in being a strict parent and by strict, she is in a category by herself.
Amy’s two girls, Sophia and Lulu, were pushed into remarkable levels of personal achievement. They have been soloists on piano and violin with international orchestras, performed at Carnegie Hall, and boasted incredible academic achievements. Both have graduated from Harvard, where their mother graduated.
Today I want to look at the first nine verses of Proverbs 31 and see a little taste of what some might identify as a spiritual Tiger Mom and the powerful lessons that she taught her son. Lessons that are more important than academic and musical achievements.
- Tiger moms are protective. (V.3-4.)
As a parent that truly wants to protect her son, the scripture reveals to us that she wasn’t as concerned about protecting her son from physical harm as she was protecting him from foolish decisions. She warns her son not to let other people or other things, like women and wine, to control his life. What are you spending more time protecting your kids from? Is it from someone saying something about your child or is from them making foolish decisions in life? - Tiger moms teach personal responsibility. (V.5-7.)
This mom is straight forward about the effects of poor choices and what the outcome will be. A parent that wants what is best for their child reveals what the outcome will be if they go down the wrong paths in life. What kind of personal responsibility are you teaching your child? Is it personal achievement or moral responsibility? - Tiger moms are persuasive. (V.8-9.)
Some parents are very persuasive to their children about going down certain paths in life and having great academic or sports achievements. These are areas that are rewarding and provide personal gain, but what about how they treat others and show Christ in their lives through kindness and building others up. Are you spending more time persuading your child to make great achievements for themselves or how to invest in the lives of others?
Today we see two totally different perspectives of a mom and the question I ask you today is, what kind of a Tiger Mom do you want to be?
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