I had good parents. But my parents didn’t seem to think much about their “parenting.” They just did it. My dad read zero parenting books. There’s something to be said for being a good man and letting the dad stuff take care of itself.
Some of my father’s friends studied up on the theology and philosophy of parenting and developed ideological commitments that made them controlling and remarkably unfun. They might have focused on being good dads, but they should have spent more time being close followers of Jesus. They weren’t warm or filled with the fruit of the Spirit, and, as soon as their kids got the chance, they ran and rebelled. The “right tactics” without the “right affections” is counterproductive.
