Train up a child in the way he should go;
even when he is old he will not depart from it.Proverbs 22:6
This is an immensely important verse for parents, and for all who have in any way the care of the young, and it merits careful study. We should note first of all that the word is 'train' not 'tell'. What is advocated here is not telling a child the way he should go. What of children who will not 'take a telling'? Sometimes parents and teachers are in some concern even distress, with children at particular ages when they seem less and less biddable and they reproach themselves for having failed. But children's difficulties should not necessarily and certainly should not ultimately, discourage, for it is not a 'telling' that constitutes 'training'. Children have to be trained into taking a telling and such training a progressive and often painstaking business. We should think of this in terms of 'imparting a skill' and of 'on the job' training, such as an apprentice in a trade receives. It takes time to turn him into a qualified mechanic, and the process is not without its mistakes, sometimes serious for the trainee and its frustrations for the instructor. Kidner usefully points out that the training is 'according to his (the child's) way' implying respect for his individuality and vocation, though not for his self-will. This is an important qualification, in both directions: on the one hand it excludes the harsh and meaningless domination of a child, and on the other, it safeguards against allowing self-will to remain unchecked and run rampant, with the disastrous consequences that usually follow. We shall continue our discussion of this verse in tomorrow's Note.