–– Paul Schlehlein

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Child labour is bad. Hardworking children are good.

Child labour is the illegal employment of children in business in order to exploit them. Many of the countries most guilty for child labour are found in Africa. Christians should rightly reject the exploitation of children for financial gain as evil. But every parent should teach their children a Protestant work ethic in hopes of equipping them for a productive life in adulthood.

How may parents succeed in teaching their children to work hard? Here are five principles.

First, wait to have children after marriage. Many children learn hard work from their mothers but mothers cannot be everywhere at once. Single mothers that work full-time jobs lack the vigilance and time to oversee and correct the lazy trends in their children. Fatherless homes are without the male intensity necessary for a disciplined family structure.

A hard-working home functions best with two parents, just as a bicycle works best with two wheels. Two parent homes surpass single-parent homes in teaching hard work to their children because they double the examples, double the oversight, and double the lessons. John MacArthur said that if fathers fail to teach their sons to love their neighbor, the Devil will gladly teach the boy to love only himself.

Second, work with your children. A boy learns to sweat by watching his father in the fields. A girl learns to labor by observing her mother rise at dawn. Humans grow best by imitation. Paul modeled hard work to the Thessalonians (2Th. 3:7-9). The Virtuous Woman spotlighted to her children industriousness in the home, and did not “eat the bread of idleness” (Pr. 31:27). In the African village where I live, it’s common for grownups to send their children on errands. It’s rare to see a father working beside his son.

For most of human history, fathers labored on the homestead and mothers worked at home. The Industrial Revolution changed that. Today, most children never see their parents work at their profession. This means fathers must be extra vigilant in corralling their sons to change the oil, fix the fence, tend the garden, hook up the flat screen and mow the yard. Mothers should view the kitchen as a classroom.

Third, highlight the joy that comes from productivity. Paganism views work as a necessary evil. Muslims see work as a decree of fate. Hindus see hard labor as their rightful penalty for sins done in a previous life. Poor societies see a life of ease as the highest ideal. But Christianity teaches that fulfillment comes from a life of hard work that benefits oneself and others. God gave work as a beautiful gift before the Fall and modeled hard work in creation before He rested on the seventh day. Happy people work hard. Lazy people are miserable. Ecclesiastes 2:4 says, “There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil.”

Fourth, emphasize personal responsibility. Good times create soft people. Never has the world had more money. Never has the population been more fragile. Today, it’s easier for parents to coddle their children, buy them all their heart’s desire and prolong their adolescence. It shouldn’t surprise us, then, that according to Pew Research, the median age for marriage continues to climb and children are living at home into their thirties.

For example, it’s almost expected now that parents or government pay for the child’s college tuition, though earlier generations neither expected nor received either for their education. If the means are there, parents may help when appropriate. But if parents desire that their adult children be independent, they must teach their sons and daughters personal responsibility in their youth.

Finally, reward hard work. Poor societies encourage their people to retire early because they think the number of jobs are fixed. They want their older citizens to get out of the way to make their job available for someone else. Wealthy societies understand that new jobs are unlimited and can be created and therefore reward their citizens by encouraging them to retire as late as possible.

Likewise, parents should honor hard work through words of affirmation and various forms of compensation. By doing this, parents enforce the words of Proverbs 10:4. “The hand of the diligent makes rich.” Parents should give the highest honor to Christian traits that surround good work, such as high quality craftsmanship, punctuality, ingenuity, innovation, cheerfulness, and going the extra mile. Just as Scripture commends those with excellent work habits, so too should parents praise such traits in their children. Colossians 3:23-24 says, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”

Let us as parents remember the words of the great Puritan preacher Matthew Henry: “The devil visits idle men with his temptations. God visits industrious men with His favors.”