Day by day, the world keeps wallowing in moral decadence. While violence is increasingly becoming a universal language, humans are concerned with acquiring wealth and the luxuries that come with it. The saddest part of it all is that only a little number of people actually value other people's lives today. And we wonder how we got to this level of debasement. We wonder if there is ever a hope of redemption for mankind.
Since time immemorial, marriage has been a custom that is universally practised by every culture on the face of the Earth. This beautiful, age-long institution brings about childbirth; and as such, it helps to perpetuate the existence of mankind. As beneficial as marriage and childbirth is to mankind, one cannot easily write off the disadvantages therein when things go south. These disadvantages include divorce, domestic violence, stress in child upbringing and even death.
In ancient times, childbirth was exclusively a feature of marriage but nowadays, it has lost that exclusiveness. But childbirth outside marriage is not our point of discussion for today.
Instead, let us talk about child upbringing.
How effective is child upbringing these days?
A popular biblical dictum says to "train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he won't depart from it."
Of a truth, most parents I personally know do their best in bringing up their children in the right way, especially in "the way of the Lord." I know parents who ensure that the importance of morning and night devotion is not taken for granted in their homes. I know parents who are stricter than even army generals. These parents know too well how to discipline erring children.
But if we are being honest, we all know that in our world of today only very few children are growing with the right moral behaviours. The lots of them actually pretend to be morally upright until they come of age to rebel against their parents. Why is that? Could it be that parents are not doing enough? Well, I think it is simple.
Studies over the years have repeatedly shown that children who were brought up in abusive homes grow up to have a tendency for violence. This is because children learn best by imitation. And the foremost characters they imitate are their parents. Hence, it does not totally help when parents give instructions to their children and not reinforce them with their own actions.
For example, as a father who drinks irresponsibly and keeps late nights it will most likely be difficult to teach your son to be responsible and keep to time when he becomes a father too. Of course, it is possible that you may coerce the boy into obedience as a little child but when he is all grown up and independent, that might probably not work anymore because as they say, apples don't fall far from the tree. Also, you do not want to raise your children to obey you out of fear but out of the love and respect that they have for you.
Therefore, dear parents, it is not enough for you to be disciplinarians. You must also practise what you preach to your children. It is not enough to have the loudest and longest devotion period in the neighbourhood. If you are not living in sincere obedience to God's words and practicing the kind of lifestyle that shows respect and love for other people, your children will not be any better, except they do not grow under you. We must not forget that well-bred children will bring about a better, saner and safer future whilst ill-bred children will bring about just the opposite. So rather than just giving out only abstract instructions to your kids, why not start accompanying them with practical demonstrations so that your little ones can follow in your footsteps?
Pretty great and precise write up. Been some time I read something from you hehehe. Child upbringing matters a lot and all we have to do is to be a good parent to our child but verily they would inherit and also inculcate our habit and all we do. Charity begins at home