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PartOne: THE PLAINTRUTH ABOUT CHILD REARING
Building
Strong Family Ties
in the'80s
T
ODAY
the reality of a
generation gap
stares
society in the face.
Many parents frankly confess
that they do not know their own
chi ldren. They are like strang–
ers. And this gap seems to have
happened overnight.
Parents may appear to be close to
thcir children when they are small.
But with the advent of teenage
something tragic happens. Commu–
nication breaks down. Alienation
begins. Thus a generation of chil–
dren has commonly become at odds
with its own parents!
Why?
Examine your own situation.
When does
your
whole family–
every member- get together and
talk- really have a good conversa–
tion and family communication?
Chances are-seldom, if ever.
Many parents today really do try
to provide the best for their chil–
dren. They want to g ive them hap–
piness and securi ty. They conse–
quently spend their time and ener–
gy in the acquisition of material
possessions. Little time or energy,
however, is spent to provide for the
family's spiri tual and emotional
needs.
Do you know why children are so
inclined to learn from television,
whether for good or for bad ?
Because a television set is never too
busy to talk to children. lt never
brushes them aside while it does
household chores or becomes
October 1984
involved in other pursuits. Televi–
sion programming goes to consid–
erable lengths to attract and hold
the attention of youngsters. And it
succeeds!
Meanwhile many fathers and
mothers spend a mínimum amount
of time and effort maintaining
direct contact with thcir children.
And then they wonder why their
children do not turn out as they
would like them to.
Where were you when your
son's class at school
had its open house?
Or when your daugh–
ter's dance team won
the trophy?
Were you just too
busy to be there? Was
the extra money earned
by working overtime
that important? Did
you really have to clean
the oven? A few Jcss
dollars and a few
specks of dirt at home,
is a smaJI price to pay
toward an investment
in one of your greatest
treasures-your chil–
dren.
1f you 've been neg-
1
igen t in i nvolvi ng
yourse lf with your chi ldr en,
changing that relationship may
not be accomplished overnight,
but with diligence and patience it
can be done. 1t
must
be done.
You would be surprised how
many young people today are
deeply yearning for a closer rela–
tionship with their parents.
Controlllng Youthful Energy
"The glory of young men," says the
Bible, "is their strength" (Prov.
20:29). One of the greatest prob–
lems in any society is the harncss–
ing of the energy and vitality of its
youth.
lt
is also one of the grcatest
difficulties of parenthood!
"Johnny! Please
sit still!
Stop
jerking and jiggling!" shouts the
exasperated mother of a 10-year–
old. "What's the matter?" she
fumes. "Can't you
ever
be still and
quiet ?"
Parents have been saying things
like that for centuries.
Virtually all "normal" children
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