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Raising Responsible Children

Likely it is the last thing parents think about as they look at their precious newborn. But it is a simple truth: Eventually that tiny infant will grow to become a young adult who will live on his own. This is as it was meant to be, for the Bible says that “a man will leave his father and his mother.” (Genesis 2:24) Of course, the same could be said of a young woman.

Nevertheless, on that bittersweet day when a grown son or daughter leaves home, many parents are anxious. ‘Did I raise my child properly?’ they wonder. ‘Will he [or she] be able to keep a job, maintain an apartment, and live within a budget?’ Even more important, ‘Will my child live by the values we have tried to instill?’​—Proverbs 22:6; 2 Timothy 3:15.

This special issue of Awake! will show how the Bible’s advice can help parents at each stage of their child’s growth.