‘Imitation is the highest form of flattery’ they say, and there seems to be nothing more pleasing for a parent than to hear that their children wants to be just like them. But do we really want to wish that on them?To set ourselves as role models is a very weighty responsibility.
In our travels we share conversation with many people. Some are older like the 90 year old lady we recently met who wears a tiara and calls herself Queen Ruth; some are our age, some the age of our children, and we also make sure to take the time to communicate with children. Twice in our two weeks on the road a child said to my wife, “I want to talk with my Mom but she is always texting on the phone…!” It is true that parents need the time to talk with their friends, but should it be done at the cost of the time we need to invest in our children? I see so many parents discouraged with their teenagers or adult children appearing self-centered and flat out ignoring them, but the question we may need to do ourselves is, “Have they become just like us?” Also, we ask them to listen to us and respect us but do we, in their presence, show respect to our parents? It is a sad fact of our times that the young adults and middle-aged parents of this generation find it difficult to spend time not only with their children but also with their parents. Could it be that 'The pursuit of happiness’ has taken an unintended left turn to the Highway of Individualism leading to Selfishness Boulevard. Maybe it is time we make a U-turn and get back on the simple Road of Community which leads to the Court of Family. Sometimes we wonder why some our teens grow hating everything we do,especially our favorite hobbies, but the problem is that they often see these activities as a competition for their parents’ attention. One solution is to involve our children in the things we do, but when we do that, we also need to be careful that we are not forcing it on them if they don't like it. As a father of six, I must say that hindsight is always 20/20, and that my wife and I have learned many hard breaking lessons by making mistakes along these lines, mostly with our first children. We can only pray that these observations of ours may help today's parents to find some ways to fulfill their need for personal time without neglecting their children. Watching you https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uzK3VwzraM Cats in a cradle https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54gNizQj3HY
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