Who Is Shaping Your Child’s Heart When You’re Not in the Room?

By Adebola Muili

When a child comes home from school and says something their parents never taught them, the familiar question is often, “Where did you learn that?”

But Nigerian Christian educator and mother, Dr. Oluwayemisi Adepoju-Awodele, believes there is another question parents should be asking: “What else are they learning that I don’t know about?”

For Adepoju-Awodele, the question goes beyond ordinary parenting. It is about the kind of adults children are becoming and the values that will guide them when their parents are not around.

A Christian educator, author and mother of two, Adepoju-Awodele, popularly known as “Your Favorite Teacher,” has channelled her passion for education, faith and child development into two new guided journals for children aged seven to 13 — Doxa’s Heart and David’s Heart.

The journals, which officially launch on Sunday, September 13, 2026, are designed to help children engage with God’s Word while developing the habits of reflection, writing, questioning and personal conviction.

According to Adepoju-Awodele, children are learning every day from parents, teachers, friends, books, their environment and the things they watch and listen to.

While parents cannot be present for every conversation or influence their children encounter, she believes they can be intentional about the foundation they build at home.

That foundation, she said, should extend beyond academic success to include faith, character, identity and purpose.

“What am I intentionally putting into my child’s heart, not just what am I teaching them to know, but what am I helping them become?” Adepoju-Awodele asked.

More Than a Journal

The concept behind Doxa’s Heart and David’s Heart is built around the understanding that children need more than information.

The guided journals provide children with a space to engage with biblical teachings, write down their thoughts, reflect on what they are learning and explore questions about faith, character, identity and purpose.

For parents, these exercises can also become valuable opportunities to understand what is happening in their children’s minds.

A question in a journal can lead to a conversation at bedtime. A child’s answer can reveal a concern, belief or question they may not have expressed otherwise. A simple reflection can become the starting point for a parent to listen, guide and connect.

In an increasingly busy world where children are exposed to numerous influences, such intentional moments can make a difference.

What Will Guide Your Child?

According to Adepoju-Awodele, parents will not always be in the room when their children have to make important decisions.

There will be friendships parents cannot monitor, questions they cannot immediately answer and situations where children must decide between what is right and what is popular.

It is in such moments, she argues, that the foundation built during childhood becomes important.

“The question, then, is not simply: ‘Will my child obey me?’ It is: ‘What will guide my child when I’m not there?’” she said.

This is the thinking behind the two journals — not simply to help children know more, but to encourage them to understand what they believe and develop values that can guide them as they grow.

Where Faith Meets Education

For Adepoju-Awodele, the journals represent the coming together of two important aspects of her life — education and faith.

Her previous works include Teaching: A Service to God and Humanity, which explores biblical wisdom for teaching, and King David and His Mighty Friends: A Devotional (Creation Story), a faith-based resource created to help children engage with God’s Word in a simple and engaging manner.

As an educator and mother to a young son and daughter, she said her experiences have strengthened her conviction that the foundation children receive early in life matters.

The objective, she explained, is not to shield children from every outside influence, which may not be possible, but to help them develop the faith, character, identity and values they can carry with them as they mature.

For Parents Looking Beyond Academics

Doxa’s Heart, created for girls, and David’s Heart, created for boys, are aimed at children between seven and 13 years.

Beyond their use as guided journals, the resources are positioned as tools parents can use to encourage conversations about faith, values, choices, identity and purpose.

Adepoju-Awodele hopes the journals will encourage parents to become more deliberate about what they are putting into their children’s hearts and, ultimately, who they are helping their children become.

The launch on Sunday, September 13, 2026, therefore presents parents, guardians and other adults involved in children’s development with an opportunity to discover resources designed to make faith and reflection part of a child’s everyday learning experience.

For parents asking what their children are learning when they are not in the room, Doxa’s Heart and David’s Heart offer a practical starting point for beginning that conversation.

Perhaps the more important question is not only what your child knows, but what is shaping your child’s heart.

And if you could give your child a book that encourages them to read God’s Word, think deeply, ask questions, write, reflect and discover who they are becoming, wouldn’t you want to know what is inside it?

The answer may be waiting in Doxa’s Heart or David’s Heart.

For more information about the journals and how to access them, readers can contact Pursuit of Excellence via hello@pursuitofexcellencengo.org or visit https://pursuitofexcellencengo.org/resources