Monthly Archives: May 2021

A True Story of a Father’s Love

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by Pat Lamb (Author of: Let the Children Come; Children, Come to Me; When the Stars Fall Down; Widening the Church Doors to Teach the Narrow Way; My Thinking Book; Love is…) Books are available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or www.patlambchristianauthor.com.

Train up a child…

A True Story of a Father’s Love

Note:  The family in this story wishes to remain anonymous, so the names have been changed.

            Every family has its challenges.  One such challenge came to a family consisting of mom, dad, Justin, Jerry, Jane, and James.  The children ranged in age from age six to age 14.  The children were typically well-behaved and good students except for Jerry, the second son who was in seventh grade.  He was well-behaved, but simply did not like the regimentation of school.  He was smart enough, but he wanted to learn at his own pace and only the subjects he was interested in rather than the required lessons.

            When Jerry received his first report card in seventh grade, his mom had a hard time getting him to let her see it.  Finally he quickly handed it to her just as he was getting ready to walk out the door to school after his dad had already gone to work.  Although it was obvious he had taken great pains to make his forgery look realistic, it was just as obvious that a “D” had been changed to a “B” in two cases. Mom took one look and said exactly the wrong thing, “Boy, are you in trouble.  Just wait ‘til your dad sees this!” 

            Jerry decided not to wait until his dad saw the report card.  His mom left for an out-of-town meeting that day and when dad came home from work, Jerry had run away from home!  

            When mom returned from her meeting on Sunday afternoon, she was greeted with four sad faces.  The other children and their dad had searched all weekend, but could not find Jerry.  Mom, knowing how much Jerry liked trains, suggested looking down by the railroad tracks.  Immediately the other three children ran to look and came back saying that they had found him sitting under the railroad trestle.  Mom wanted to hurry and go get him, but dad told her to wait and let the children go.  He was right.  The children went back and talked him into coming home.

            Mom’s first impulse was to grab Jerry and give him a great big hug, but dad had everyone go to the living room and sit down.  When all were seated, dad began by saying, “Kids, your brother doesn’t love you.  He ran away from all of us and not only that, he took your dog.  If he loved you, he wouldn’t have run away.”  All were stunned and sat in silence.  “Jerry,” he said, “what to you think your punishment should be?”  By this time, a few sniffles could be heard from more than one person.  After some consideration, Jerry admitted that he needed to be whipped with a belt. “How many licks should you have?” dad asked.  Jerry finally decided that ten licks would be appropriate.

            Jerry’s dad looked at each family member, one by one, and asked, “Would you be willing to take some of Jerry’s licks?”  Justin said that he hadn’t been the one who changed his report card or run away, so he didn’t think he should have to take any licks.  Jane agreed to take one or two for him.  James agreed to take one or two for him.  Mom was surprised when she was asked if she would be willing to take some of the licks.  After all, she was a parent!  She didn’t agree to take any licks.

            By this time, there was not a dry eye in the house.  Dad handed the belt to Jerry and said, “Jerry, I will take all ten licks for you!”

            Dad got up, leaned across the back of the chair and insisted that Jerry give him all ten licks.  Of course, Jerry did not want to give any licks and started not hitting hard, but dad insisted that he hit him harder.  It was finally over!

            Ir is debatable whether the right tactics were used.  Perhaps things could have been done to prevent the happening in the first place.  One thing, however, is not debatable. This dad loved his son and wanted to do the best he could for him.

            John 3:16 tells us that there is a heavenly Father who loves us so much that he gave his only son to “take our licks” for us on the cross of Calvary.  

            Isn’t it wonderful to have a father’s love?  

Dads Have Trying Times

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by Pat Lamb (Author of: Let the Children Come; Children, Come to Me; When the Stars Fall Down; Widening the Church Doors to Teach the Narrow Way; My Thinking Book: Love is…) Books are available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and www.patlambchristianauthor.com

Train up a child…

Dads have Trying Times

         Dads who are serious about raising good children will have trials from “cradle to grave”.  Here is one example of a trial our youngest son, Charles, experienced on Mother’s Day.

         Trying to be a good dad, Charles had taken his seven-yr.-old son, Garrett, to buy a present for his mom.  On Mother’s Day, he and Garrett got up early and happily got the gift, took it out of the box, and put it on the porch.  It was a storage unit for the lawn chair cushions.  Mom would really like this!  Garrett excitedly called for his mom to come and see her surprise.

         Garrett’s mom, Kelly, was hurrying around as usual and didn’t want to spoil the occasion by waiting until she could check the younger brother,  23-month old Spencer.  “I couldn’t have been away from him more than ten minutes,” she said.  I didn’t want to spoil the moment, but I kept thinking, “It’s too quiet upstairs.”  She excused herself as quickly as possible and ran upstairs to check on Spencer.  Spencer, who had not been invited to the fun time, had created some fun of his own.  She found him sitting in the bathroom floor splashing in water and having a great time!

         Spencer had been flushing one thing after another down the toilet.  Water was everywhere!  It had even run down into the master bedroom closet and ruined the sheetrock on the walls!  The rest of the day was spent trying to snake out the water line and clean up the mess.  A Dixie cup was found, and a toothbrush was never found.  Finally, it was decided that the toilet would have to be replaced.  A trip was made to town to buy a new toilet.  The new toilet was installed and the sheetrock was removed from the closet walls.  

         I couldn’t resist asking Charles, “Did you get mad at him?”  I was relieved to hear the answer, “Naw.  He’s just too little to understand what he did.”  

         Charles had worked 72 hours the week before at his job.  He had looked forward to a pleasant weekend at home.  This event was certainly a trial of his love for family, and I am happy to say that he came through just fine! I suggested that he would probably have many more such trials before the boys become adults and he assured me that he knew this to be true.

         Although this trial seems bad enough, truth is that as the children grow older, the kinds of trials may change to be heart-rending trials, not just trials that require physical stamina. 

         Hats off to all the dads this Father’s Day, who are surviving or have survived trials of many sorts, because of their love for their children.  May they reflect the love of our Heavenly Father in their daily lives as they are constantly being observed.

Son’s prayer:  Dear God, Make me just like my daddy.

Dad’s prayer:  Dear God, Make me the man my son thinks I am.  

Children Learn from the Past

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by Pat Lamb (Author of: Let the Children Come; Children, Come to Me; When the Stars Fall Down; Widening the Church Doors to Teach the Narrow Way; My Thinking Book; Love is…) Books are available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and patlambchristiansauthor.com.

Train up a child…

Children Learn from the Past

         Memorial Day is not just for adults.  Children can gain much benefit from participating in Memorial Day traditions.  The holiday provides a wonderful opportunity for parents to tell stories of family history as well as explaining some of the past wars that have been fought for our freedom.  The ritual of decorating graves brings a reality that life on this earth has an ending, and we need to make good use of the time we have here.

         Children can gain a sense of pride from learning of accomplishments of past ancestors.  As they hear stories from parents of the good accomplishments and heroic deeds of relatives, a feeling of “I want to do something heroic, too” is instilled in children.  They gain a higher purpose in life and do not concentrate so much on self pleasure.  Stories of “black sheep” in the family should also be told as examples of what not to become. Children are quite often surprised to hear of both good and bad examples in the family background.  Their lives are greatly influenced by these stories that can come only from the family.

         Memorial Day is a time to remember not only family members who have passed away, but it is also a time to remember those who have fought for our country.  Children should hear this at least every year.  Even if the stories have been told before, they should be told again.  Hearing such stories brings a sense of reality to life that is often lacking in today’s children.  It also instills a sense of appreciation for our country and the freedom we still enjoy.  A walk through many cemeteries in the Ozarks will reveal the small Civil War gravestones of so many who fought in that war.  Just the walk, itself, is a good history lesson for children.

         If decorations are being taken to the graves of past loved ones, let the children hold the decorations and put them in place.  Doing so brings home the reality of death.  Although this may sound a bit gruesome, children need to learn that death is a part of life.  Some people opt to give donations to charities in memory of loved ones rather than spend the money on flowers. In such a case, include the children in the planning process and let them help in any way possible even to the point of using some of their own money.

         A good way to cap off the day’s activities is to have a family picnic or some other family activity.  There will probably be time for games.  At this time of year, outdoor games can be played with the children to make the day a pleasant memory for them.  Nothing makes a child happier than to play games with parents.  They think it is really funny to watch parents run and play. It is especially fun if they can beat their parents in a game.

         Memorial Day can be a day to remember the past, have meaningful fun in the present, and help children be better adults for the experience in the future.

Time to Plan the Summer with the Kids!

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by Pat Lamb (Author of: Let the Children Come: Children, Come to Me; When the Stars Fall Down; Widening the Church Doors to Teach the Narrow Way; My Thinking Book; Love is…) Books are available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and www.patlambchristianauthor.com.

Train up a child…

Time to Plan the Summer with the Kids

         It has been said that those who fail to plan actually plan to fail.  Now that the school year is almost at a close, it would be wise to sit down with the children and plan out the summer.  Summer provides an opportunity to spend more time with the children and teach them things that are not taught at school.  Goals need to be set for improvement of needed areas in the spiritual, mental, physical, and social realms.  The more the children are involved in the setting of these goals and plans, the more apt they will be to adhere to them.

         Setting goals involves a certain amount of self-evaluation.  Children need to be asked to be honest in talking about where they think they can improve in each of the four areas mentioned.  An easy way to do this is to use four strips of paper marked off in inches with one inch being the lowest and 10 inches being the highest. Use one strip to represent each of these four areas: social, mental, physical, spiritual.  Ask the child to tear off the strips to show where they think they are in the development in each area; then, place the strips together as if to form a square.  If the child is equally developed, there will be a perfect square.  More likely, however, some strips will be shorter than others.  The short strips show where the child should improve.  Activities for the summer should be chosen to improve the child in the areas needed.  

         As parents spend more time with children during the summer, vacation and play activities can be planned as needed.  Most children need more physical activity.  Should this be the case with your children, one goal might be to involve them in sports teams.  The whole family can have lots of fun as they take part in cheering, providing refreshments, etc. If the children need social development, plans can be made to have outings with families who have children approximately the same age to develop friendship and social manners.  There are many good activities provided by churches such as Vacation Bible School, summer camps, or other get-togethers to provide Spiritual growth.  The selection of trips to educational sites greatly helps children academically.  

         Schools have little or no time to teach children about the care of the home.  Parents need to make sure that children have chores to do around the house and that they are taught how to do them properly.  There are many minor repairs that can be done at home to save money and children need to be taught how to do them.  Cleanliness of the home, cooking, mending of clothes, proper care of appliances and furniture, and lawn care need to be learned while children have time to practice things taught. Many teenage girls love to paint and redecorate a room during the summer.  Many teenage boys love to work on an old car or piece of machinery.  Many teenagers will obtain their first job outside the home, but they will probably still have time to do other things mentioned.

         The summer will go by all too fast.  When fall comes, many will be saying, “Where did the summer go?”  Plan now to use the summer wisely with children before it is gone.

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That Special Day is Coming!

by Pat Lamb (Author of: Let the Children Come; Children, Come to Me; When the Stars Fall Down; Widening the Church Doors to Teach the Narrow Way; My Thinking Book; Love is…) Books are available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, www.patlambchristianauthor.com

Train up a child…

That Special Day is Coming

            Mother’s Day is such a special day!  It is a time to reflect about what our mothers were or are like, what those of us who presently are mothers are like, and what mothers should be like.  It is a day in which mothers can almost feel like special saints when they receive so much acclaim.  My, how good it feels!  Then, the next day, quite often, we go back to mundane duties and wondering if what we are doing is really worth it all.

            Can anyone really describe all the duties of a mother?  Those duties are so numerous that the thought of the responsibility is almost overwhelming. And yet, those who are not mothers often cry out to God asking for that gift of a child.  In the book of Samuel in the Bible, we can read about Hannah who prayed so fervently for a child that she was accused of being drunk.  In spite of the daunting task, most women long to be a mother.

            A good mother does whatever is necessary to train a selfish “me” baby to become a responsible, God-fearing person who is an attribute, rather than a liability, to society.  When a baby is first born, its only concern is self.  Hopefully, as the child grows, he/she becomes more and more unselfish and considers what is right and good.  Unfortunately, we still have “big babies” in our society who think only of themselves and their wants.

            A good mother must first of all be unselfish in order to rear a child to be likewise.  She gives up her sleep and comfort to care for that little one during the long hours of the night which become short hours of sleep.  She keeps going for the good of the child even when she is tired. She gives up her desire for a new dress to make sure that the kids have what they need.  Erma Bombeck asked in one of her writings, “Why do mothers always give themselves the bent fork?”  

            A good mother must be patient, realizing that you can’t force a flower to bloom.  Just as a rose bush has some buds that open before others, so is the world of budding children.  God, in His infinite wisdom, created us to grow and blossom at different paces.  

            A good mother needs the wisdom of Solomon to settle conflicts.  Oh, that everything were clear-cut and easy to solve!  Many problems in child-rearing do not have perfect solutions.  Sometimes we just have to choose the better solution, wishing for an opportunity to have the perfect solution later.  Oh, if only all daddies were right there to assist in the spur of the moment to assist in making decisions!!  It is too bad that now there are so many single moms who have to try to be both mom and dad to their children.  There is no daddy to remind the kids to do something special for mom on this special day.  What a tough job they have!

            I know of no better source for the description of a good woman and mom than in the 31st chapter of the book of Proverbs in the Bible.  It tells us that a good woman is clothed with strength and dignity (better clothing than that new dress she may have to give up.)  It tells us that she watches over the affairs of her household and is not idle.  It also says that her children will arise and call her blessed.  Verse 10 says, “A wife of noble character who can find?  She is worth far more than rubies.”  This chapter is a good one to read often to help keep us on track.

            Dads, step up to the plate now and help the children plan to express their love to mom on this special day.  Children need coaching at this time.  While you are at it, plan something for mom yourself to show her that you understand and appreciate her difficult task.  When your day comes, hopefully mom will help the kids show their appreciation to you.  We both need all the encouragement we can get. Right now, plan to make this day special for mom.