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Trained in the Way They Should Go...
"I am seeing children who are being raised to be children all of their lives. They are being trained, but not in the way they should go... In another twenty years, the entertainment-focused Christian youth of today will be the entertainment-focused adults who act much like they did in their teen years... If the years of one's youth mean one fun activity or sport after another, when do children learn to enjoy work? Must our children always have great fun while being educated? Will it spoil their childhood if they don't have lots of playtime?... The essence of Proverbs 22:6 is that we reap what we sow."
Steven Maxwell in "Preparing Sons, to provide for a single-income family", Communication Concepts Inc, USA, c2001, p53-54
posted by Holly at 6:53 PM
3 Comments:
Steve Maxwell, husband of Teri Maxwell (Managers of Their Homes), has a tremendously important point here. We live in a soceity which worships pleasure and all our heroes are movie stars and rock artists. Entertainment has become a modern virtue. This can filter down into our own child-raising as well - and our parish groups, and catechism classes, and how we spend our free time...
When Anna was a little girl, I remember complaining to a friend how Anna did not want to do her school work, and had no interest in reading. My friend questioned how much tv Anna was watching - "If you remove this, she'll get into reading." I immediately cut tv (& computer time) down significantly, and Anna stopped her complaints. Thus, so did Mummy.
Too much play is like too many sweets - it spoils our tastebuds for more serious nutritious things. Too much leisure spoils our ability to work hard, and we shrug off duties which are too hard or difficult.
We experience this ourselves. And the problem then too is that we teach this to our children.
Perhaps a pondering of Maxwell's point here is in order - are our children spoiled by entertainment? Do they eagerly attend to entertaining activities but don't know how to do their homework or chores without complaint? Are they thinking of prayer or God or helping someone or are they usually thinking about the next Game Cube turn?
Hmmm...
I wholeheartedly agree! "Work" has become a dirty word in our society. We all try to get out of it, but I believe there is a real and spiritual value to physical work. Work requires us to be humble, unselfish and disciplined. I have checked out a couple of kids videos for my boys (6,4 and 2) about pioneer life and I love showing them how hard those kids worked! The other day my eldest complained when I asked him to walk across the room to turn off a light switch! (I know that sounds awful, he just didn't want to be the one who had to do it.) But you are right, we parents first have to show the example of a cheerful approach to work, this I work on every day!
I once read that our attitude to work is a mirror to the state of our souls. Something to consider both for ourselves and our children! :-)
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