2 Chonicles 22:3 Ahaziah also followed the evil example of King Ahab’s family, for his mother encouraged him in doing wrong. NLT
Ahaziah was the youngest son of Jehoram, a wicked king who died without being mourned. Unfortunately, his mother was also a wicked woman named Athaliah. She was the grand daughter of Omri, the 6th king of Northern Israel who did evil in God's sight( 1Kings 16:25). Ahaziah was not different from his father. His mother schooled him to be wicked because that was their ancestral trademark. Just as God was angry with his forbears, God was angry with him as well. He fell to the sword of Jehu, the son of Nimshi and his reign was short lived ( vs 9). In parenting, everyone will produce after their kind.
A young secondary school student was caught watching porn on his phone in school. The principal sent for the mother. Instead of scolding and rebuking the child, the mother rallied behind her child saying that the child was learning from porn. I witnessed a case where a parent supported their son who harassed another girl. That's the generation of Jehoram, Athaliah and Ahaziah. Children may veer off the part of righteousness. We all experienced that while growing. I did stuffs my parents didn't approve of but blessed be God, Christ found me. However, it is bad when parents approve of wrong doing. Ahaziah's reign was shortlived because he modeled his life and leadership after his ungodly parents.
It is disastrous when parents give support to wrongdoing instead of rebuking it. Proverbs 29:17 says, "Discipline your children, and they will give you peace of mind and will make your heart glad." Children can perceive quickly what you permit and what you don't through your reaction to whatever they do. If wrong doing doesn't get prompt rebuke and rebuke, they quickly assume you approve of it. Fraud and prostitution fester in our society today because there are parents who don't care how and where their children make money from. If we don't want to raise children like Ahaziah, we need to become for ourselves what we desire our children to become. Children learn by imitation first before taking to our instructions.
Do you know that your marriage is the first marriage seminar your children will attend? Most times, people run their marriages the way they see their parents run theirs. If you're the nagging mother, your daughters will assume it is the norm. If you're the physically abusive father, you're telling your sons to do same to their wives in the future. That's why in some climes, once physical abuse is involved in marriage, they shield children from such fathers so that they don't model after him. Be a model of what you want your children to become.
Father, I receive the grace to be a godly model for my children and to teach them your ways in Jesus name.