Tips for Obeying Your Parents

Obeying your parents is one of the most difficult things to do as a teenager. This is a time that you want to spread your wings and do things on your own. You want your independence, and you want to prove you can be a responsible adult. Yet there is still a level of needing your parents to guide you through this time, and there is still so much you can learn from them while you're still a teen.

Obeying Your Parents Leads to Wisdom

There are times when obeying your parents can be really tough. We all think we know enough to make our own decisions. But do we really? God reminds us that it is a foolish man that does not seek to become more disciplined and wise (Proverbs 1:7-9). The most important people in our lives are our parents. They can be the greatest guides we have in this life, and they can lead us in the path God has for us…if we let them. For most of us, our parents offer advice and discipline out of love, and we would do well to listen and learn from what they have to say.

Obedience Brings You Closer to God

God is the father of us all. There is a reason why we use a term like father to describe our relationship with Him because just as we are to obey our parents, we are to obey God. If we cannot obey our earthly parents, how are we to obey our Heavenly one? Faithfulness comes out of obedience to God. As we learn to obey, we learn to be wise in making our decisions in life. As we learn to obey, we learn to open up our eyes and ears to God's plan for us. Obedience is the first step in living a Christian life. It helps give us strength in our faith and the ability to overcome temptations that can lead us astray.

Obeying is Hard

Yet no one says obeying our parents is easy. Sometimes it feels like our parents are from a whole other world. Sure, they come from a different generation, and we may not always understand their reasoning. However, we don't always understand God, either, but we know that what God does is for our own good. In the case of our parents, it's that way, too. We need to realize, though, that there will be pitfalls in obeying our parents, and there will be times that obedience becomes so difficult. Yet obedience takes work.

Tips for Obeying Your Parents

• Listen. One of the easiest ways to learn from your parents is to listen to what they have to say. It's hard to obey your parents when you don't actually hear what they're telling you. You'd be amazed at what you'll hear when you take the time to absorb what your parents are telling you.
• Show respect. There is nothing as frustrating when a parent is talking to their teen as an eye roll. You may not agree with your parents' decisions, but obeying your parents begins by showing them respect. It's okay to ask questions or ask for clarification on a rule or something you disagree with, but it's important to do so in a respectful manner. If you just push and yell and scream, it is unlikely that your parents will actually hear your objections. Disrespect will put a wall between you and your parents immediately.
• Have patience. It's easy to immediately jump on your parents when you disagree with them. It's also easy to hold a grudge when they're wrong. However, your parents are human just like you. Obeying your parents means accepting that all they do isn't perfect. They make mistakes, too, just like you. So, have some patience for the times that they don't quite do things right, and know that you can learn just as much from their mistakes as your own.
• Communicate. Going to be late for curfew? Try calling ahead. Not sure you can get your chores done when they ask? Explain why. Communication is key to having a good relationship with our parents. When you communicate with them about what's going on in your life, you will find that they will accept that you are becoming a responsible adult. Ask them for advice, talk to them about school … it's every teen's desire to be private, and some privacy is understandable, but know that when you don't communicate it breeds suspicion. A great way to obey your parents is to talk to them about things. It's amazing how much communication will be a key to you getting along with them, too.