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On Parenting
The Leading Role
" A baby is God's opinion that life should go on. Never will a time come when the most marvelous recent invention is as marvelous as a newborn baby. The finest of our precision watches, the most super-colossal of our supercargo planes don't compare with a newborn baby in the number and ingenuity of coils and springs, in the flow and change of chemical solutions, in timing devises and interrelated parts that are irreplaceable."
Carl Sandburg
CHALLENGE: It is a scary, mind-boggling, challenging, exciting, rewarding, responsibility to have the task of raising a child. All parents face the challenge of making sure children learn positive, life-enhancing values. These values must be lived, not preached to our children. Each day is a brand new time period to show young humans the difference between right and wrong, what real love is, ethics and morals. Circumstances during the course of a day can easily be turned into lessons that teach young observers a lot about life. We can't tell a friend we're not feeling well enough to attend a meeting and then go shopping. We can't tell a child how important it is to keep our word, then miss a scheduled meeting with the child's |teacher to play tennis. These times teach much stronger lessons than mere words can convey. Role modeling is everything it is cracked up to be. An old proverb says, "When you walk your talk, people listen."
DISCIPLINE: There has to be discipline for a chilld to know right from wrong. Without it, a child has no boundaries.
Many times the undisciplined child becomes an adult requiring discipline on a larger scale. Discipline or boundaries is
another word for love, and when it is done right, there is no anger.I recently heard a speaker say a very sobering thing.
His statement was, "When we discipline our children, if it doesn't hurt us as much as it does them, it is abuse."
ENCOURAGEMENT: If we offer heartfelt encouragement to our children and the young around us, there is no limit
to the impact we have on their lives. It's hard being a young person in today's world. Trying to measure up to standards
set by peers can lead to discouragement and depression. Encouragement tells them they are o.k., they can accomplish
anything they set their hearts on. It's especially important to let them know it's absolutely o.k. to be different. They need
to know they are unique and a person of worth. Words of praise for jobs well done can make a big difference. It can help weaken the negative influences around them. Opportunities abound daily for parents to use the gift of encouragement in
the lives of those they oversee.
WORK ETHICS: Not long ago I heard a father laughing about a statement his son had said about him. The son labeled his dad "a slave driver" The father explained that on Saturdays he insists his little boy ride with him on their ranch to "check things out". The son's job is to get out and open the gates and close them back. This is also "Dad and son" time. He is paid for the "work" he performs, and he is asked to save a part of his money. I venture to say, in years to come the young boy
will look back and thank his dad for all the lessons he learned, from learning to doing a job well to saving money. Strong life lessons can be taught about work ethics and economics . Any time spent teaching the good things of life gives young children a much better start in managing an area of life that so important in the real world.
"Do not handicap your children by making their lives easy."
Robert Heinlein
FAITH: The Bible is the guide for Judeo Christian living. Through it we learn there is hope and help for life problems. Through the bible's pages move wise and not so wise men. It speaks of highpoints and low points in the lives
of people since the beginning of time. The Bible is a good place to help young children learn about choices and how our choices affect lives. Learning through faith that there is a purpose for our being here makes life worthwhile and gives us
hope for the future.
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