Many parents fall into the habit of saying “One… two… three…” before they expect obedience. It seems harmless. But what does it teach? That a child can delay obedience until the last moment. That a parent’s word is negotiable. That God’s command, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right” (Ephesians 6:1), can be postponed.
Scripture does not call children to eventual obedience. It calls them to immediate obedience. Delayed obedience is disobedience. The parent’s job is not to bargain with the child, but to train the child in God’s ways.
“You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.” (Deuteronomy 6:7)
God calls fathers to bring up children “in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). Discipline means setting clear expectations and requiring joyful obedience, not threatening or negotiating with countdowns. Every “one, two, three” shifts authority away from God’s Word and into a parent’s convenience.
Parenting is hard, but it is not guesswork. God’s standard is clear. Require obedience right away, not because you crave control, but because you are shepherding your child to learn submission to the Lord Himself. If we tolerate slow obedience to parents, we train slow obedience to God.
The Christian home is not built on counting games. It is built on truth, discipline, and love that points children to Christ.
Semper Reformanda
Some say, “Counting gives kids time to process.” But Scripture does not give room for parents to relax God’s command. “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing to the Lord” (Colossians 3:20). Others argue, “It avoids conflict.” Yet peace is not found in lowering God’s standard, but in consistently applying it with patience and love. To soften the requirement of obedience may feel gentle, but it trains rebellion.
Truth That Withstands
God calls parents to train children in immediate, glad obedience. Delayed obedience is disobedience. By requiring it right away, we teach our children to honor the Lord whose Word is never negotiable. Parenting with firmness and love is not harsh… it is faithful.
Shortlink: reformlet.com/obedience