Children come to this world with minds blank like writing paper, and whoever prints his message there first usually dominates their thoughts and actions for the rest of their life.  The values and attitudes which they develop early in life are difficult to change latter whether for good or for bad.



Parents are the primary source from which the children should receive their values, but due to widespread ignorance and neglect they are getting these vital matters from dangerous sources.  Schools in our country are supposed to teach them only the facts of science and arts, but in addition to this they are teaching antibiblical attitudes also.  We as parents cannot change this education system, but we can surely combat its influence on our children.  If this is not done it time, our shocked reflection, "Where have we failed; what have we not done for these children?" is only around the next corner for most of the parents.

Honesty, integrity, courtesy, respect, fairness, and above all, diligence should instilled in the child even before he starts attending the school. These values do not come by a daily quota of lecturing on these subjects in front of the child, rather they should come by demonstration and training from the very first day that parents starts talking to the child !! They should be should be taught that sharing, loving, thoughtfulness, and kindness are divine principles; that diligence in doing whatever is expected of us is a part of our commitment to our God and Saviour. Parental examples should reinforce these instructions for the whole of their lives.  It is foolish and naive to think that spiritual instructions will be fruitful if parents do not take pains to follow the same path for their own lives.

Parents, it is a war in which either you win or your children perish.  It is your responsibility to equip them spiritually, mentally, physically, and even emotionally.  Your pastor, or the child's  Sunday school teacher might be a help, but nothing more than that; you cannot delegate your primary responsibility to them or to the teacher.  God could have found many other ways to bring the children to this world, but He chose to do it only through parents because no one else in this world can have that burden which parents can have for their own children.  Just think about it: if you cannot take pains for your own flesh and blood, then who can ?

It is very difficult for a child to face peer pressure, to swim against the current.  It is easy to dance to the tune of

the world, but it takes a lot of courage to follow the divine marching orders.  Living as a spiritual or religious person is not for the cowards.  In the present school system it takes toughness and a lot of courage to be a spiritual person against the peer pressure.  Only a high amount of maturity for his age will give the child enough courage and strength to stand firm against the mocking crowd. Today smoking, cheating, and bullying the weak have become symbols of courage.  But these are stupid standards.  They are symbols only of defiance.  Not smoking, not cheating, and not bullying in spite of all opportunities is what calls for real courage.  But it comes only with training in the way in which the child should walk, plus the assurance that he or she can count on their parents to lend all type of support whenever they need it.

All true education begins at home. It should be the place to which the children come with their problems and heartaches.  It should be the place where they not only learn the Word of God, but also learn the Biblical interpretation of the events around him.  One of the most important things that a child should learn here is to recognize the deception behind glamour; that all that glitters is not gold. 

Many children get into different vices or undesirable activities because of the way these activities are glamorized by their friends.  For example, many youngsters become slaves of smoking because of the peer pressure to smoke.  To them there is glamour in it; violating the norms of the society by smoking is portrayed as a sign of manhood.  Much before this happens parents must show the child the difference between outwards appearance and the inner reality of this practice.  They should know that it is not violating the norms that is a sigh of manhood, but rather it is the keeping of the norms that requires a steel will.

Training the child is a battle of spiritual versus evil.  It requires all the dedication of the parents.  It is foolish to repent at the end instead of preparing to fight now.  Train the child in the way he should walk, and when he is old he shall not depart from it.