The Western sense of being an individual who has worth independent of the approval of any human community is something we also want to instill in them. We value the ability to separate who we are as God's children and what we do as fallen human beings. We appreciate how Western culture encourages the ability to articulate convictions, values, and choices in a way that is not only tied to a community but is internalized in one's own self. Eventually, we part ways from both cultures. American and Asian parenting styles both focus on behavior management, whether it be through bribery, flattery, criticism, guilt, or shame.
Asian parents tend to create emotional distance to get their children to conform to their wishes.
But Puritanical America tends to produce children merely satisfied with doing right behaviors. We want to do the same, creating opportunities for our children to name the problems they see in their own hearts. We plan to ask many questions about how different events or situations make them feel and what causes their feelings. We want to educate them on why pride, judgmentalism, anger, and lust endanger their hearts, and why their longings for connection and approval can only truly be met by inviting the Spirit of Christ to come in. We also want to emphasize the restoration of relationship after sin.