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bad according to the Bible's value
system.
Remember, too, that a Jarge por–
tian of your child's understanding
of sex and Jove in marriage will
come from their viewing the rela–
tionship between you and your
spouse. If you are unaffectionate
with your spouse-if your child
never sees you hug, kiss or hold
hands with each other-chances
are that he or she will grow up to
be an undemonstrative and unaffec–
tionate adult. Set the right exam–
ple! A levelheaded approach to sex
from the early years will produce
an adult able to handle his or her
sexuali ty wisely and responsibly.
The preadolescent years are also a
time when attention must be given to
developing right attitudes about
being a boy or girl, attitudes that will
carry over into adulthood.
Possi bly the most important
aspect of such teaching is strong
example. Young people want and
need someone to copy.
lf
parents
are setting the right examples of
masculinity and femininity, most of
the battle is al ready won.
lf
a father treats his young
daughter with respect as a feminine
young woman-opening doors for
her, respecting her privacy, treat–
ing her with love and kindness–
this is the type of behavior she will
look for and expect in a man later
on. l f her father does not show love
and fatherly affection and concern
toward her, she will have no stan–
dard by which to j udge proper mas–
culine behavior.
Mothers, too, must exhibit the
proper kind of feminine character
traits to their sons-traits that they
would like to see in their future
daughters-in-law. Young men are
often drawn to women who remind
them of their mothers whom they
dearly loved and admired. As the
song from yesteryear observes: " 1
want a girl, just like the girl, that
married dear old dad. "
If
a mother
fail s to set a proper feminine exam–
ple, her son may later have difficul–
ty in evaluating and choosing a
suitable mate.
In single-parent families, it is
important that the children–
regardless of their sex-be exposed
to adults representing the sex of the
missing parent, adults who can set
a right example of masculinity or
28
femininity to the children. Such
adults can be relatives, friends, co–
workers, neighbors. Single parents
must not neglect this important
aspect of their cbild- reari ng re–
sponsibilities.
A girl needs to understand what
she is and her potential as a woman.
She has to be taught to exhibit
those characteristics that make for
true femininity- characteristics
such as virtue, industry, outgoing
concern for o tbers, generosi ty,
understanding, helpfulness. She
should be taught how to conduct
herself in all situations as a lady.
Instruction in etiquette and man–
ners is essential.
lf
slovenly conduct
and deportmen t are a llowed to
flou rish in these early years, it will
be difficult to break those bad hab–
its later on.
Begin ear/y
to set right
standards! Work now to mold your
daughter into a woman of personal–
ity and charm.
Practica! skills such as cooking,
sewing and cleaning can also be
taught beginning in these early
school-age years. Do not wait until
the high school years, or hope that
home economics classes will do the
job for you . Give your daughters a
head start by early instruction at
borne.
Proper grooming habits should
also be established at this age.
Mothers sho uld t a ke time to
instruct their daughters in hair
care, proper dress and personal
hygiene. The habits of proper diet
and a regular program of exercise
should be stressed in these early
years. Your children wi ll thank you
for it later.
Your daughters are the wives
and mothers of tomorrow. They
will be the examples for your
grandchildren. Be diligent to give
them-and futu re generations–
the right start!
Boys must understand that the
purpose of being a boy is to become
a
man.
Today, one finds far too
many teenage boys and young men
who are out-of-condition weak–
li ngs-sallow - faced, s unken–
chested and wimpish. This should
not be.
Boys should be motivated and
taught to deve lop cou rage and
strength, to be fit physically. They
should be encouraged, as should
girls, to take an active part in sports
and athletic programs to get in
sbape and stay that way. Basket–
ball, tennis, soccer, softball , volley–
ball , swimming, jogging-the pos–
sibilities are endless. Such physical
activity will develop strength and
coordination and stimulate mental
agility.
Boys should also be provided
with chances to work. They should
be taught to work
diligent /y
and
conscientiously
at whatever job
they are given and to enjoy it. Hard
work is a trait that has been rapidly
on the dec line among young
people-but one tbat is an essential
for later success as an adult.
Boys should also be trained in
proper etiquette and groomi ng.
Manners and a clean-cut appear–
ance are essential. Mothers should
help their sons develop good habits
of neatness and cleanliness. If a
mother constantly picks up after
her son, he will not Jearn the babit
of personal cleanliness. Encourage
in him the habit of hanging up bis
own clothing, of keeping his own
room neat.
Both boys and girls should be
given chances to develop an appre–
ciation for good music. Music
today is a big part of every child's
life. Children should be encouraged
to develop their musical abilities,
vocal and instrumental.
Finally, it is belpful to supple–
ment parental example with bibli–
cal examples. Read to your chil–
dren examples of real men and
women from the Bible. Discuss
with them why these men a nd
women were examples of true mas–
culinity and femi ninity. And read
also the bad examples, explaining
why those men and women failed .
Developlng Character and Morals
Tbe home is an essential element in
the instilling of right character and
morals. You can have a profound
effect on how your children will
conduct their lives after they leave
home.
Children want guidelines. Most
young children earnestly desire
help from their parents. It gives
them a sense of security. Tbey
know you are concerned for them if
you give them guidelines. Let chil–
dren know how you expect them to
behave. Give them clear standards
of conduct.
The PLAIN TRUTH