God gives us children to help us mature,
Yet raising them, sometimes we’re not really sure
If we’re bringing them up in the best way we can,
But God gives assurance and lends us a hand.

Raise up a child in the way he should go,
And when he is older, the training will show.
From the way he was taught, he will not depart.
If we’ve done our job right, he has God in his heart.

These verses from Scripture have spoken to me,
‘Cause sometimes I wonder what my children will be.
As they reach adolescence, they sometimes do things
That they know are quite wrong. Yet continuing:

They become disobedient, and testy, and “smart”,
And often the hurt cuts right to my heart.
So I try to figure out just where I went wrong,
Then the Spirit assures me it won’t be too long.

They are trying to learn how to live on their own,
To learn independence, and let it be known
That they, too, have a will. They’re just trying to find
A balance between a child’s and a grown-up’s mind.

The verses I mentioned don’t promise that they 
Will not rebel or argue, or even run away.
What they promise is this: When a child is raised right,
When he matures he’ll turn back to the Light.

To the Light of the world, in order to see
How God wants him to live, and what he should be.
In the meantime, I know we must give the child love,
And continue to pray, seeking help from above.

We’ll discipline the wrong and reward all the good,
And try to be examples, to live like we should.
And trust in the promise God gives us to hold:
That those kids will be fine when they’re finally old.