How do you talk to kids about sin without making them feel shame?

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1w ago1 min read

Trying to teach my kids right from wrong but don't want them growing up with toxic shame like I did. My 6 year old lied about breaking a cup and I want to address it but I also don't want him to think he's a bad person. How do you guys balance accountability with grace? How do you help them understand consequences while knowing they're still loved and forgiven? This parenting thing is harder than I thought.

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3 comments175 views

Comments(3)

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CChris M.New Dad1w ago

I grew up the same way with the shame spiral and I swore I wouldn't do that to my kids. Focusing on helping them understand why boundaries exist rather than just 'because I said so' has been better.

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MMike R.Regular1w ago

This is such an important question. I've been trying to teach the difference between shame (I am bad) and guilt (I did something bad). Hard to do consistently but the messaging matters.

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NNate B.Regular1w ago

My kids are still young but I'm already thinking about this. How do you actually have the conversation though without sounding preachy? Looking for the words that actually work.

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