16 Rules for Raising Children from

the mother of 19!

Suzanna Wesley was the mother of nineteen children, among them were John and Charles Wesley. It has been said that the Methodist faith was born on the lap of a mother, Suzanne Wesley.  She spent one hour each day in prayer. That's seven hours each week! She spent one hour per week with each child individually imparting spiritual life and wisdom. That's nineteen hours!

Suzanna Wesley was an obedient wife and mother and, through her sons, revival came to England. What she taught her children in private, they shouted to the housetops … to the world. Out of her 19 children, 9 died. She was left with 7 daughters and 3 sons. And her 3 sons brought revival to England.

And, you know, Suzanna Wesley's husband was in debtors prison most of the time, so he wasn't even home. But she was obedient to run the house while he was gone. I can't imagine caring for 10 children, working through the grief of losing 9 children, and still teaching the remaining children the word of God. She home schooled her children, as she couldn't afford to send them to school. She taught them everything she knew. And the way I understand it, she didn't even understand being saved by grace. She taught her children the laws of God. And later on, after her sons were grown, they led her to understand the saving grace of Christ. But she taught her children what she knew. The truth she had, she taught. But what a woman of sorrow … and yet she didn't give up. And in her obedience to God, she raised sons who changed the world.

Suzanna Wesley over two hundred years ago formulated sixteen rules for raising children. They are still pretty good rules!

1. Eating between meals is not allowed.

2. As children, they are to be in bed by 8 pm.

3. They are required to take medicine without complaining.

4. They are to subdue their self-will so that they might be open to God's salvation.

5. Teach a child to pray as soon as he can speak.

6. Require all to be still during Family Worship.

7. Give them nothing they cry for, and only that which they ask for politely.

8. To prevent lying, punish no fault which is first confessed and repented.

9. Never allow a sinful act to go unpunished.

10. Never punish a child twice for a single offense.

11. Commend and reward good behavior.

12. Any attempt to please, even if poorly performed should be commended.

13. Preserve property rights, even in smallest matters.

14. Strictly observe all promises.

15. Require no daughter to work before she can read well.

16. Teach children to reverence God.

One of Suzanna Wesley's prayers gives a glimpse of her faith: "Help me, Lord, to remember that faith is not to be confined to the church, or closet, nor exercised only in prayer and meditation, but that everywhere I am in Your presence... May all things instruct me and afford me an opportunity of exercising some goodness and daily learning and growing toward Your likeness." Although she lived two hundred years ago, Suzanna's faith lives on today. The important things in life have not changed. It still matters that parents stay in the Lord and spend their lives leading children to do the same.

We have a LONG ways to go near to Suzanna Wesley. But if we want some revival in our country and a better generation, then we need some mothers like Suzanna.

Would you be one?

Do all the good you can,

By all the means you can,

In all the ways you can,

In all the places you can,

At all the times you can,

To all the people you can,

As Long as you can.

(John Wesley)