At Stoneybrooke’s annual Dads Day celebration I often mention a “pearl of wisdom.” I share with the Dads that if there was only one small practical thing you could do to help your child make it in life it should be a commitment to eat together around the same table everyday.

Of course I understand that there is a much more important principle that should be a foundation of every home. The Bible clearly instructs Moms and Dads to train up their children in the “nurture and admonition” of the Lord Jesus Christ. But I am talking about simple practical things that will yield an amazing result in the lives of our children.

Along those same lines, I was fascinated with a study conducted by Dr. Patrick F. Fagan that is being reported through the Family Research Council and the Marriage and Religion Research Institute. In his work entitled “Mapping America,” Dr. Fagan shows that “students most likely to receive A’s in school are those who grew up in an intact married family and who now worship at least weekly.”

Those who attend church every week are almost twice as likely to receive A’s as those who never attend (26% vs. 16%). Kids who reside in a home where the marriage is intact, are four times more likely to receive mostly A’s than a child who lives with a single parent all the time.

When the two issues are merged, 32% of students who grew up in an intact married family and worship weekly received the most A’s. It seems that “marital stability is a form of social capital that advances educational attainment for children. (A quote from Anguiano Ruben, in the book, “Families and Schools: The Effect of Parental Involvement on High School Completion.”)

A different study concluded the kids who regularly attend religious activities are found to have a GPA 14.4% higher than kids who never attend church. And a third study concluded that those kids who are in church every week scored 2.32 points higher on math and reading tests than those who never darken the doors of a church.

The lesson for this week is simple: Mom and Dad fulfill your marriage vow and make sure your family worships together every week. Your children will be more secure within themselves. They will have more character, be more sensitive to the needs of people around them, and more likely to duplicate the experience for their own children. And the bonus appears to be, they will likely make better grades along the way!
By His Grace and for His Glory,
Sherry L. Worel