Academics is not Enough

There are so many negative influences in the world today. We as parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents and others (because it takes a village) need to make sure that we are abreast of all the issues facing our children. There are discussions that we need to have with them before and/or should they arise. Nine months of every year for twelve years we get them up early, dress them and send them off to school to learn the academics in preparation for “life”. We want them to make the honor roll and excel academically but academic preparation alone will not prepare our children for “life”. Some lesson may be very simple and other more complex but we need to impart some wisdom in our children. I can remember so vividly when I was a little girl my mom and grandmother would tell us often “little girls don’t sit in men laps” they didn’t tell us why early on but we knew not to do it, not even for a family member. Partially, for the same reason, we couldn’t go to slumber parties either. As an adult, when I started hearing on the news all the molestations and rape cases, my mind took me back and I called my parents and thanked them for protecting me. In the world today, our children are exposed to so much more than we ever thought about growing up. Drugs, Homosexuality, Sexual diseases, The World Wide Web (internet) just to name a few are destroying the minds of our children. Please take the time to teach your children something that will help them to make a good decision when faced with a situation. We must ensure that our children know that there is a consequence for every decision they make. It can be a good or bad depending on the choice that was made. Your child may be on the A honor roll, but does he/she know not to get in the car with a stranger? Your child maybe looking like the next Michael Jordan at the age of 5, but does he/she know that they can come to you if anyone tries to touch them in appropriately? Does your child understand the consequences of putting their business on “my space” and “face book”. Yes, it is private from mom and dad but this information is retrievable and traceable for ever. Some people think having a baby or getting AIDS is the worst thing that could happen to their child but it is not. Dying in the midst of your sins is the worst because then you can’t see Jesus. Romans 6:23 says “For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Friends, my only concern is that we must equip our children with the right tools to make the right decisions. As stewards of our children we are responsible for raising them in a Godly manner. I didn’t always make the best decision but I thank God that I didn’t make a deadly decision. I thank God for my parents who we thought was so strict but it turned out that they were teaching us life lessons, lessons that I have started to instill in my girls. My challenge to us as parents is to make sure that we are teaching our kids valuable lessons of life that will help them now and forever. If you have a child thirteen years or older I would like to recommend “God's Two-Minute Warning: Short-Term Choices, Long-Term Consequences. by John Hagee.” This book teaches us that there is a consequence for choice we make. It will make good dialogue for you and your teenager Love and Blessings, Benita