From Generation to Generation

Transitioning from ‘adult’ to being a ‘parent’ is a journey of multi-dimensional growth. Branching out to bear good fruit requires deep rooting firm in the soil of righteousness. Parenting does not come with an instruction manual, it is what naturally passes on through the finite fabrication of humanity from one generation to the next.

I have come to realise that my every decision and action is somewhat influenced by the example of my parents and no matter what I teach my children, they will learn from my example. Therefore, in the intimidating face of atheism, materialism and luring technological advancement, we must consciously carry forward enriching traditions from our forefathers, that our children too may be model parents someday.

Doing Right by our Children and God

‘I thought about quitting, but then I noticed who was watching’, read a poster featuring a cub looking at her fierce yet tired Papa Lion. The present pressures of life lead us to feel like quitting: - our jobs, but we can’t (who will financially sustain us?), our relentless house-hold chores – (O but we must complete them). So, the easiest to quit, we find, is prayer (God will understand). It is here, that we fail primarily as parents, I dare say, almost daily. It has been truly observed that families that ‘pray together, stay together’. The ancestral Most Holy Rosary is a great tool to unite the family in prayer. Even a decade recited devotionally will aid strength for all things else. Growing in the knowledge and fear of God by our own example of reading the Bible daily, resorting to prayer in difficult moments and being deep-rooted in faith will go a long way in producing exemplary Christian youth and adults.

Rewarding our Children Daily

There is no ‘App’ that can substitute your ‘Lap’. The Bible tells us that children are an inheritance from the Lord. How then, must we treat them?

A great way our parents bonded with us was by the sharing of daily experiences. Dad’s assuring words of ‘your problems are our problems’ ensured my security in them always having my back. It is important to let our little ones know ‘everyday’, that we love them and care about what they do. Never let us miss the opportunity of telling them how precious they are in the sight of God and our own. No matter what the world tells them, they always care about what ‘we’ think of them, partly because they find their identity in us. Reading to them, making simple inexpensive games, involving them in family discussions, chores & jokes are daily rewards that can uplift their morale.

‘Sacrifice’ is the Key

In the age of time being equated with money, it is imperative that either one must be forfeited to invest duly in our children. We are often caught up earning to save for their future that we forgo investing in their present. Sometimes, as much as even putting our phones away just to spend quality time with our young ones seems like a daunting task – thus sending them the message that ‘things’ are more important than ‘people’. The biblical instruction (Prov: 22:6) ‘Train up a child in the way he should go’ behoves us to train ourselves first, so that our biggest fans – our children, may follow in credible footsteps.

God has promised unfailing love for a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments. Being faithful children and loving parents will make us worthy of this promise.