"Train Up a Child" Doesn’t Mean What You Think

Rethinking Proverbs 22:6 and what it really teaches about parenting

“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6

At first glance, this seems simple enough: raise your kids right, and they’ll grow up loving and following God. Many parents read this verse as a promise — a guarantee that if they do their part, their kids will walk with Jesus for life.

But here’s th…