To properly raise your child, you must train his mind. And to properly train his mind, you must know how God made the human mind. The human mind is a mystery to scientists and educators. They understand much about the human brain, but they largely admit they know next to nothing about the human mind. Herbert W. Armstrong wrote in What Science Can’t Discover About the Human Mind that the human mind is the human brain plus a spirit element he labels the “human spirit.” This is why you must teach a child not just good facts or even good behaviors, but a good attitude.

Mr. Armstrong wrote in a 1984 Plain Truth article, “Train a child to think and decide according to the spirit and attitude of God’s law—love toward others, consideration for the good and welfare of others—and teach that Satan’s way of selfishness and jealousy, envy, antagonism toward others, is wrong. Teach a child to honor his parents.”

What wonderful instruction! Teach your child facts, figures and behaviors, yes. But also teach him how to make good choices. Teach him how to discern right from wrong. Teach that decisions have consequences. Teach cause and effect. Teach him to see beyond himself, to understand and empathize with others. Teach him to think about how his decisions and words affect other people. Teach him to think about what others are thinking and feeling. Teach him to look for the needs of others. Teach him to get along, to work with others, to avoid unnecessary conflict, and to face down and resolve necessary conflict. Teach him to give. Teach him to discern and understand his own thoughts, emotions and motivations, and how to direct those in the right way. Teach him to think, to reason, to judge based not on his own feelings or reasoning, but on what his Creator teaches in the Bible.

That is some high-level thinking. It takes a lot of work, but remember: It’s not just a human brain you are training. It is an awesome, God-given human mind.