Monthly Archives: June 2019

Children Need to Learn Personal Responsibility

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by Pat Lamb (www.patlambchristianauthor.com)

Train up a child…

Children Need to Learn Personal Responsibility

         “The government should buy each of us an electronic dictionary.”

         “They’re all a bunch of crooks!”

         “The President should__________.”

         “The only jobs there are are those old crappy jobs.” 

“The government doesn’t give us enough money to live on.

The above are all true comments heard in GED class when I was teaching.  They clearly indicate a lack of understanding of how our government is supposed to be a government “of the people, by the people, and for the people”.  “We, the people,” not “They, the people” are responsible for what happens in our country.

         Children need to be taught at an early age to accept personal responsibility as citizens for self and others.  Without this teaching, people become like leeches, living off the lives of others.  

         Children need to see their parents go vote.  Children need to hear their parents talk civilly about the candidates and their policies.  Children need to understand that our founding fathers set up a government with checks and balances making the congressmen and congresswomen as responsible as the president for decisions that are made.

         I have found that very few of the students I have taught knew the three branches of the government: executive, legislative, and judicial.  They did not know that the Senate and House of Representatives make up Congress.  They did not know that there are two Senators from each state and that Representatives are elected according to population based on the census every ten years. Further, they did not know the meaning of checks and balances, a system set up by the founders of our country to make sure that no one branch of government has too much power.  Had they known about the system of checks and balances, they would have known that the president cannot be solely blamed for mistakes nor can he solely take credit for successes.  In fact, the president can do very little alone.  Understanding this fact would make more people take greater consideration in the Senators and Representatives they vote for.  

         Children need to be taught that all money coming from Washington, D.C., must first go there, and that taxpayers are the ones who send it there.  They need to be told that they have a responsibility to send money toWashington, D.C. and not just think of what they can get fromWashington, D.C.    In fact, right now other countries are helping fund our government, making us indebted to them.  Also, by the time our tax money goes to Washington and then comes back, it has dwindled a great deal due to the many expenses associated with counting, disbursement, etc.  It would be of more personal value to keep it home in the first place.  

         Unfortunately, many parents act as though they do not understand these facts.  If parents and grandparents do not understand, how can they teach the children?  Perhaps greater thought needs to be given before discussing our government in front of children. WE are the government.  We govern through the people we elect.  We have no right to say they are the government.  We need to write letters, attend meetings held by our voted-in officials, and encourage our elected officials to govern as it was originally intended.

         Let’s make sure our children understand the truth about our country.  If we start teaching our children about our government while they are young, perhaps they will know more when they grow up than one student I had who wrote in a paper about “President Busch”.  

Note: Check out my latest book: My Thinking Book__A daily devotional book for children concisely explaining basic teachings of the Bible. Available on my website: www.patlambchristianauthor.com, Amazon, Barnes & Noble.

Ideas to Celebrate July 4

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by Pat Lamb (www.patlambchristianauthor.com) Check out “My Thinking Book” for children!

Train up a child…

Ideas to Celebrate July 4

         It is so important to create good memories for children and the 4thof July is a perfect opportunity to do just that.  There needs to be time in every child’s life to just simply have fun and enjoy the family. Of course, if we can teach something important at the same time, so much the better.

         Children need to know what they are celebrating.  They need to know that the 4thof July is also called Independence Day and that it is the anniversary of the day on which the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress, in 1776.

         John Adams, one of the founders of our new nation, said, “I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival.  It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty.  It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward for evermore.”  Independence Day was first celebrated in Philadelphia on July 8, 1776. In 1941, Congress declared July 4 a legal public holiday.

         There are three websites on the Internet that give ideas for crafts, games, decorations, recipes, and more to help celebrate Independence Day.  They are:

http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/fourth-of-july/about.html

         www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/july4/

           holidays.kaboose.com/july-4/

         There are several other good ones as well. When I checked these out, I found that they have simple craft ideas suitable for very young children as well as ideas for older children and even adults.  The ideas and some patterns are free.  There is even a flag for young children to color with the stars representing the original 13 colonies.

         Our former Vice-President’s wife, Lynn Cheney, has written three books to help children appreciate the founding of our country.  They are Fifty States,A Family Adventure across America;A Time for Freedom,What Happenedin America;andWhen Washington Crossed the Delaware.  All three of these books are available in the Kimberling Area Library.  

         Some folks like to do elaborate cookouts and that is great.  Here is a very simple recipe, however, for those who don’t like to go to so much effort.  Our family used this many times, not necessarily on the 4th. It is a recipe that children can help with. Each person has his/her own foil bundle to open and can fix it as desired, varying the amount of potatoes or meat and seasoning it to personal preference.  

Hamburger & Potatoes in Foil:

         Take a square piece of foil large enough for a hamburger patty and a potato.  Spray the foil with Pam.  Slice a potato and put 3 or 4 slices in the center of the foil.  Salt and pepper the potatoes. Lay an uncooked hamburger patty on the potatoes and put 3 or 4 more slices of potato on top of it. Sprinkle with salt and pepper again. Bring the foil up and seal with a double fold.  Place on the grill and forget them while you play with the kids.  After a few minutes, check to see if they are done.  

         Fly your American flag high and enjoy Independence Day!

Dad’s Dilemma

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by Pat Lamb (www.patlambchristianauthor.com)

Train up a child…

Dad’s Dilemma

         Dad has a dilemma as he attempts to be head of his home.  That dilemma is how to please mom and, at the same time, “bring home the bacon” and train the kids properly.

         I’m afraid that too many of us as mothers may be too critical of dad and his attempts to discipline and teach the children.  Often, we expect dad to see things just exactly as we see them and do just exactly as we would when they make an effort to direct the children.  If God had intended us both to think the same, he would have made us both the same.  Often dad wields a firmer hand than a mother would.  I believe that is the way it should be.  It seems to be the nature of mom to nurture and cuddle.  Too many times we want to jump in and rescue a child when dad knows that firmness is needed.  Dad doesn’t want to disappoint mom.  This puts him in a tough spot.

         One comedian in Branson joked that a woman’s brain has a four lane highway going from the left brain to the right brain and men have a narrow cow path going from one side of the brain to the other.  This makes women more able to multi-task where men are more apt to think of one thing at a time.  Generally, this is true.  Of course, there are exceptions to all of the research findings.  Some men can multi-task.  For those men who find multi-tasking difficult, it is really hard to come home from work and immediately switch to the role of being a dad.  I remember reading in the 50’s that the wife should wait until the husband has been home from work 20 minutes before she starts telling him about the day with the kids!  Times have certainly changed as now many women are also working outside the home.  However, a man may still find it more difficult to adjust quickly to a different set of tasks from what he faced at work.  Also, many jobs now require the person to be on call for 24 hours. In this case, it is especially difficult to switch the mind back and forth to concentrate on what the children need.

         Many dads hesitate to discipline the children for fear they are not doing it properly.  They want the children to like them, and may fear that they only see him when he is scolding them for something, and will hold it against him.  The truth is that even though children may resent discipline for a time, in the long run there will be more respect for parents when they show that they care enough to risk not being liked for the sake of a child.  As for not being sure of how to discipline and teach properly, dads need to avail themselves of books and other information available to help them learn. 

Dr. James Dobson has written many wonderful books that give insight into how children think and react.  Dads need to visit the school and meet the teachers and get involved with their children’s activities. Also, dad needs to make sure there is a time each week for the family to have devotions and an opportunity for each family member to express any concerns or ask questions. 

         We can all learn and do better when it comes to bringing up the children.  Mom needs to be more patient with dad and dad needs to make more effort to learn about children and communicate with the family.

Note: Summer vacation is a perfect time to train children to do daily Bible readings. “My Thinking Book” is a daily devotional book designed for children to read for self or have read to them. Each day’s devotional is based on Scripture. Available at www.patlambchristianauthor.com, Amazon, or Barnes & Noble.

Teaching Values to Last a Lifetime

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by Pat Lamb (www.patlambchristianauthor.com) Author of “Let the Children Come”; “Children, Come to Me”; “When the Stars Fall Down”; Widening the Church Doors to Teach the Narrow Way”; and “My Thinking Book”

Train up a child…

Teaching Values to Last a Lifetime

         Our country is in a tough situation right now and we need to prepare our children as best we can for what they will have to face as adults.  Since our country is so far in debt, we know that money is likely to be a problem for many families in the future.  Our children may not be able to experience the lifestyles they now know.

         What are some things we can do to help prepare children for the society they are likely to face? There are some tried and true values that serve any person well in any situation.  If children can learn to live without wants and survive on needs only, they will more likely be able to master many of their financial problems. For both needs and wants, children need to learn to be resourceful.  Taking care of what they have and learning not to be wasteful goes a long way in helping to provide the necessities of life.

         Many people in our present society seem somewhat confused when it comes to defining needs vs. wants. Ask almost any young adult and they will tell you that they really need a cell phone, TV, car, and many other things. The truth is that in the past people have lived very well without any of these things.  In some jobs, some of these things are needed, but as far as personal use is concerned, we can do without them with extra effort.  We are reminded every once in a while that we really can’t depend completely on these conveniences.  There are people constantly trying to sabotage our computer systems, and we need to face the fact that there may come a time when we have to do without some of our technology.  

         Giving up what we would like to have naturally leads to a conversation about being resourceful. Questions concerning needs and wants stimulate creativity in thinking.  Even learning about doing without small insignificant things can teach a child the value of being resourceful.  For example, recently I needed a pattern to sew a project for my grandson.  I remembered how my mother used to take newspaper and cut her own patterns when making dresses for my sisters and me.  I did the same and saved a trip to Springfield. This illustrates how children remember the examples set by parents. I remember how my dad would say that my mom could fix anything with a hairpin.  When there was no screwdriver around, mom would use a knife from the silverware drawer. “Necessity is the mother of invention” they say.  Our needs motivate resourcefulness.

         Those who grew up in the depression era were taught not to waste what they had.  They had to write on both sides of paper.  They were scolded when pencils were “ground away” in pencil sharpeners.  They knew how to recycle before recycling became popular!  Now, thousands of dollars are wasted in schools and businesses by people using the copy machine and using paper to copy only one sentence, or not using the back of paper to copy things that are for temporary use only. Adults need to set the example of valuing what they have and not wasting it.

         We cannot anticipate everything that children need to know to face in their future, but we can go a long way by teaching the values of resourcefulness and stewardship.  When they can truly determine the difference between needs and wants, they will be more able to set priorities in money management.