Monthly Archives: May 2023

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 on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, 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 to 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!

            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?  

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; www.patlambchristianauthor.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.

Who Said that Parenting is Easy?

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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; www.patlambchristianauthor.com

Train up a child…

Who said that Parenting is Easy?

         Someone recently told me that they had overheard some young girls say that they couldn’t wait until they were old enough to have a baby and drop out of school.  How little they know about what parenting involves! There are those who think that having a baby is like having a doll.  They don’t realize that the “live doll” will have many needs that must be fulfilled and that the “live doll” will not always be a pleasure.

         Being a parent takes physical, spiritual, social, and mental strength. From the time a baby is born until parents can no longer function, parents muster up the strength to help their children.

         A baby requires much physical energy from parents.  Who has not seen a mom or dad with circles under the eyes from being up at night with a child.  The hunger pangs of a baby do not know how to tell time.  As the baby cries, mom or dad may be waiting impatiently for a bottle to warm.  There are diapers to be changed, food to be prepared, laundry to be done, house to be cleaned, and other members of the family to be cared for. Parents may need to stand over a bed in the middle of the night where a fever-ridden child is lying and looking up to mommy or daddy to do something. I can remember sitting by our children during the night and rubbing legs as growing pains were occurring.  

         When a child starts to school, mom and dad are challenged to use social skills to help the child make the right friends. Parents must get along with other parents as well as the child’s teachers.  There is still a great deal of physical energy required, but at least mom and dad get to sleep through the night most of the time. Mental abilities are challenged as parents help children with homework that often involves new methods of doing things.

         As the child progresses into the tweens and teens, mom and dad discover that the sweet little baby that they thought would be perfect is not so perfect.  Now, as never before, parents must rely on their spiritual strength to work with the child.  Disappointments seem to come all too quickly as parents discover that the child does not think exactly as the parents do about certain things. “Who is this child?” they often wonder.  “Is this the same sweet baby we fed and diapered in the middle of the night?”

         When the child becomes an adult, parents are still parenting often from afar.  We can’t “boss” anymore.  We simply make suggestions for consideration.  Even though we have “been there and done that”, our adult children may need to discover the truth for themselves.

         Yes, parenting is not easy.  I think of the old pioneer parents who often buried several children at one time after the children had suffered with smallpox or another deadly disease. I’m sure that many must have wondered, “Is it worth it?” 

Parenting does, in spite of its many challenges, have many rewards.  As I watched our children step up and take responsibility at the death of our second son, I was comforted to see them in action.  I overheard our daughter say, “My two children are the best thing that ever happened to me!” It definitely is worth all the heartaches and effort involved when we see that our children have become responsible citizens who truly love their mom and dad, each other, and their families.