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Parents are
the very
ones who can do
the most to
develop right
dating attitudes
and habits
in their children.
beyond his solving?
After beginning to
learn of the imagination–
staggeríng plight of this modern
world, many a teenager begins ask–
ing why, and wonders how the
world got this way and where it is
going.
Feeling betrayed by home,
school and church, he resents the
conditions of this world, sometimes
becoming so resigned to the situa–
tion that he just gives up and drops
out-living only for the moment in
a destructive whirl of drugs, sex,
crime and violence.
Obviously, there are dozens–
even hundreds-of intensely per–
sonal reasons why young people
defy authority, reject parents, fight
police. But the one biggest reason is
lhat they simply do not like this
world the way it is, and deeply wisb
it could be changed.
Hope for the Future
Longtime readers of this publica–
tion know, thankfully, that this
world's situation is not hopeless.
Humanly, of course, it is. But the
plain truth is tbat God Almighty is
soon going to personally intervene
in the affairs of this world and save
humanity alive, ushering in a new
world of peace, prosperity and hap-
18
piness for everyone (Mic. 4: 1-4).
That knowledge gives us tremen–
dous hope-encourages us to over–
come the obstacles in our lives and
be tbe best we can be. It propels us to
learn and üve God's way of life-the
only way to true happiness.
It is this knowledge and motiva–
tion, ultimately, that must provide
the solution to the problems of
teenagers today. But exactly bow
can parents help their teenagers
right now, in practica!, down-to–
earth, effective ways?
Almost every parent wants his or
her children to succeed.
It
is one of
life's greatest joys to see them do
so. As one man said, perbaps the
one reward a parent gets in child
rearing is to see his or her son or
daughter become a success in life.
On the other hand, it is one of life's
greatest heartaches for a parent
when children go the wrong way.
And make no mistake: There is a
battle raging between you and this
world-a battle for your teenager!
At birth, the battle began, between
you-the parent-and Satan. The
spoil is your child.
If you truly want your teenager
to succeed, now is the time to con-
tinue decisive act ion. Next to the
years of infancy and early child–
hood, tbese teenage years
will most inftuence your
youngster's development
for life. You as a parent
must help.
How sad it is that
many parents simply
choose not to fulfill this
duty. Said Dr. Amitai
Etzioni, professor of soci–
ology at Columbia Uni–
versity: "An increasing
number of parents have
resigned tbeir responsibil–
ity for the
character
of
their child. It's as elemen–
tary as that."
And that, in essence, is
what we are talking about
here- how, given the
knowledge of God's trutb
and tbe understanding of
the spirit in man , by
which humans differ
from animals, a parent
~
can instill right
character
g
in a child.
~
Don't make excuses! Of
course, every teenager is
different and must be dealt with
individually, but there are sorne
broad principies that apply during
tbis special period of a young per–
son's life-principles that can help a
parent give a teen the best possible
chance in life. Whether you have
teenagers now or will have someday,
this information can greatly benefit
your child rearing.
Let's examine these special areas
of concern applying to teens.
Strengthen Family Ties
The foundation of a healthy society
is the borne, and a good home is
built around a strong family .
Wben a child !oves and respects
God and his family-feels a deep
sense of loyalty to them-he will
not want to bring shame or prob–
lems upon God or bis family. He
will watch bis conduct so that it
does not reflect negatively upon
God, his parents or others in the
family. He will do what is best for
members of the family-he will try
to please tbem.
Developing a strong family unit
requires authority in the home. Chil–
dren must be taught to respect par–
ents, witb the father as the head of
The
PLAIN TRUTH