Yesterday I spoke on “training a child in the way he should go…” Training him/her by using life to teach them. Taking the time to explain why things are the way they are, and the “why’s” of rules that have been set in place. Another aspect of “training a child in the way he should go” is helping him/her find their niche, helping them to discover the God given talents that they were wired with. Each child has talents and abilities in their DNA. As parents it is our responsibility to help them find it and nurture it.
As my pastor pointed out, when a child has something in their life that they love and are passionate about, they do not have time for trouble. Drugs, sex, and all the things we fear our teens, and now young children, being caught up in become a non-issue. Everyone in this world needs a purpose, and when they have it, that is their “drug” of choice.
While I have made mistakes as an adult, my teenage years were pretty mild. Yes, I experimented with things here or there, but it never stuck. It was not a lifestyle for me. I attribute this to a couple of things. First, my parents put a strong moral sense in me, and when I tried things that I knew were wrong I would feel so guilty I didn’t enjoy it. Secondly, I was very active in the arts department at my church. I did dance, mime, drama, played the flute … you name it, if it was performance I wanted to do it. So I did not have time, or a desire, to get into trouble. In fact, looking back I would have to say the times that I found the most trouble in my life was when I was not doing those things for one reason or another. I lost my purpose … and found trouble.
While I do not believe in dragging your kid to every single activity there is, it is important to help them discover what their real talent is. Nurture it and foster it, even at a young age, and see their lives have meaning and purpose. Let them try different things that they want to try; if they don’t like it move on. (Don’t push them to fulfill your unfulfilled dreams.)
With Emily she wanted to take ballet, so I signed her up. After a month or so she decided she did not like it anymore, so I told her they had already been given parts for their Christmas piece and she had to see it through til Christmas, then she could quit. This helped reinforce seeing things through, and responsibility to others. I let her quit after the Christmas recital, and she STILL does not have a desire to go back.
If you are on a tight budget, as I am, I know that it can be expensive to do things like ballet, etc. But use your “google”. There are tons of inexpensive things out there. The ballet class Emily went to was 20$ a month, at a local church. And she was a professional teacher. I could let her try it out with out putting alot of money in it before I knew if this was a passion, or a passsing. There are usually community centers that offer all sorts of things like gymnastics, soccer, ballet, music classes. So with a little research you can let your children explore their giftings without breaking the bank.
With the post today and Yesterday, training a child encompasses so much more than giving them rules and demanding they live buy them. Good parenting is not easy, if it were all parents would do it. However, it is most rewarding. So happy parenting! 🙂