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And what other nation is so great as to have such
righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today?
Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the
things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live.
Teach them to your children and to their children after them. Remember the day
you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, when he said to me, "Assemble
the people before me to hear my words so that they may learn to revere me as
long as they live in the land and may teach them to their children." (Deuteronomy 4:8-10 NLV). The second principle in the quick course in parenting is to do meaningful things together. It's not enough simply to spend time with your kids: make sure this time is spent qualitatively. There are so
many examples that I might draw on to illustrate this principle from my own
experience! Perhaps the most vivid is the conversation I had with my oldest son,
Kyle, while we were watching one of my second sons, David, baseball games. It
was years ago, but I have never forgotten it. With no prompting at all, Kyle said, “Dad, I’m glad you
come to our games. We just play
better when you’re there.” It was his way of saying that my presence was
important to them. It was merely a
matter of being together. There have been so many memories we have built through
the years simply by doing things together. Playing
family games together, going for hikes together, or building something together
are merely a few of the things you may choose. The critical thing is to choose
something. It will amaze you how many of their “firsts” you will experience
with them. Each of these builds on the other to develop a solid foundation of
values and principles of life. They become the markers of life. If a family
really battles for what one psychologist has called "superordinate
goals," the kind of unifying struggle for existence that once cemented
families of pioneers, these help parents and children to pull together. Have you
ever wondered why farmers' kids are so loyal to their families' goals? It is
because they have achieved them together in an experience of togetherness.
Whatever they achieved, they did so together. There is no better way to teach
our children our goals and values than by being with them in the experiences of
life. It is a principle that builds on the first we touched on yesterday.
We need to spend time with our children, but that time should be used to
experience life together. Develop a plan of doing things with your children. Even if your children are older, it is never too late to do meaningful things with them. |
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