Helping Your Children Grow in a Sinful World
So your kids are getting older and you're worried about how to
deal with the world outside your door. When you open it, you're
flooded with a multitude of temptations...all inviting your
children to join the new order of instant gratification. The
seduction is hard enough for adults to deal with, so how can the
underdeveloped Christian mind ever hope to resist. Especially
when the don't understand the serious harm some of these things
can do. It Starts with Example
Needless to say, it all starts with example. Johnny might not
buy into Mom and Dad's strict life policies, but he'll at least
always remember it. It'll gnaw at the back of his conscience and
continue to urge him towards holiness throughout his life.
And it works the other way too. A bad example from parents will
always be an excuse for poor behavior from young adults. Think
of how many times you've thought to yourself, "My dad used to do
it...it can't be that bad." But it Doesn't End There
Parenthood calls for more than example. After all, many selfless
parents have raised selfish (spoiled) brats. There has to be
more. There has to be some intervention. But how much? Do we
keep them in a bubble until they're eighteen? Or do we allow
them to experience and learn from the world?
This subject is much too large for one article. But there's an
important aspect to parenthood that was probably not passed on
from our own parents...because when they were parents, it wasn't
as big an issue.
The fact is, we're no longer living in a Christian world...and
we have to adjust our approach to life. We can no longer rely on
any sort of rating system from the entertainment world. We can't
trust that our schools (even the Catholic ones) are going to
provide a Christian education.
This means that you'll have to pay more attention and teach your
kids what it means to be Christian. You have to make them
realize that they are different. They have to feel separated
from the rest of the world. At first, this could mean something
as simple as teaching them not to pay attention to the Jones's.
But eventually, they need to know their unique position. They
are children of God...and that carry's responsibility.
Telling them once isn't a cure-all. There has to be a continuing
reminder that our duty to God comes first. And of course, it'll
only work with prayer and example.