Potty Training
Harvard University recently completed a study of potty training in America. They discovered this: Fifty-four years ago nearly ninty percent of our children had been successfully trained before they reached their second birthdays.
Today courtesy of decades of toliet-speak from some pediatricians and authors, many parents think training a child yonger than two is psychologically harmful, if not impossible. So now, parents wait, and wait, and then often have a difficult-extended time potty training their children.
My children participated in several sports as children and adloesences. Twenty-five years ago we were on the front side of being “soccer Moms and Dads”. At end of a sport’s season, we went to the award ceremony and I was surprised to see how every child received a trophy for “participation”! Come on, participation. We were reminded that we had to be careful and not bruise any fragile egos, by awarding a trophy to the best player and nothing to the others.
Today, we are living with what we helped create. “Houston, we have a problem”. We waited way to long to move from the toddler potty to adult world.
Church leaders today look around and wonder where have all the leaders gone? The bulk of leadership in many churches are more mature, 45 and older. The younger adults are around but not involved to a high level with a weekly commitment to teaching and leading. Why? Potty training.
They are so busy. They are trying to spend quality family time together. Their children are so consumed with activities these adults can’t find time for a spiritual investment in the lives of their children?! So we give them a pass. We settle for half-hearted or no commitment from them. We allow them to come when they want, take what they want, and give us their left overs, rather than tell them, “You’re not coming out of the bathroom until you get on that potty, and grow up”.
It’s time to stop the insainity and look grown adults in the face and say, “no more training pants, no more time out” it’s time to assume the responsibility that God has given you as parents and invest in the spiritual raising of your children by becoming part of a teaching ministry.