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…
A Child’s View of Happenings
“Experts” who study such things say that we are all a combination of heredity and environment. We each inherit tendencies that influence our likes and dislikes. Then, as we grow, the things that happen, or do not happen, around us influence what we become according to the choices we make in dealing with them.
Right now, few people would deny that we have a division in our country. Children pick up on comments and actions that are influencing them. They listen to parents and others as they comment on news events. Our recent election provided many comments and actions that are very confusing to children.
We tell our children to be kind to everyone, yet they are not seeing kindness as store windows are broken. We tell our children not to steal, yet they see people on TV looting stores. We tell our children to talk nicely, yet they see people screaming at each other as they argue about what they think needs to be done in our country. What kind of adults will our children become as a result of what they are experiencing?
For many years, teachers and parents were told to praise children and tell them how special they are. Children have been passed from grade to grade in school without being held accountable for mastering the material of each grade. Children have been given trophies when they were not earned. Why are we surprised that we have a generation of adults now who think they don’t have to earn what they get? We have a generation that feels they are special no matter how they behave. Didn’t we actually teach them that they are special and entitled when we misused praise and gave them things they had not earned?
As this generation of children sees others acting as they do, how will they process this in their own minds? Will they become another “me” generation? Isn’t it up to parents to see that this does not happen. How can parents overcome what children are now witnessing to teach them to respect others? It starts, first of all, by example. Demonstration is one of the best teaching methods.
What a challenge for those who work with children! Since children quickly form opinions, s/he may have already formed many undesirable opinions. This means there is much “undoing” to do as we try to teach the correct responses to what they are seeing and hearing. It will take much prayer and help from our Lord, and yet, many parents refuse to take their children to church so they can learn or have Bible reading times at home. Only the Bible has the answers we need. It has proved itself through the centuries.