It’s the first day of school. Facebook timelines were filled with snapshots of kids posed
with backpacks, uniforms, and lunchboxes standing in their front yard smiling
for the camera. Hold the camera phone for a second! I’m not talking about a kid’s first day of school EVER. I’m saying there were several people
who had pics of their kid’s first day of school…as a Sophomore!
It makes
me laugh how the web has made posting pictures socially acceptable and fun.
Can you
imagine if you went over to your friend’s house, they pulled the shades, and
showed you slides of their kid’s first day of 4th grade? I doubt any of us would “like” it. We’d be thinking, “What’s next, your
kids first trip to Skyline Chili?” *see Will Howlett’s facebook page circa 2010
I can’t
blame parents for taking pics of their kids on their first day of school. They’ve put a lot of time, money, and
energy into preparing them.
The right
clothes,
The right
shoes,
The right
classes,
The right
transportation route,
The right
supplies,
The right
amount of sleep,
The right
paperwork....all with the goal of their children finishing the year
successfully.
I
recently attended a workshop on how to prepare students for the transition from
middle school to high school. The
JCPS counselor leading the session shared that 9th grade has the
highest attrition rate because students aren’t prepared.
My
daughter doesn’t even start school til next year and we’ve been talking about
preparing her for over a year!
Now let’s
change gears.
If you
are a parent, what are you doing to prepare your child spiritually?
Do you
put in the same amount of time, money, and energy in making sure your child
isn’t a victim of the attrition rate?
Researchers found that almost three out of five young Christians (59 percent) leave church life either permanently or for an extended period of time after age 15.
What things
can we do to prepare our kids spiritually so they are prepared not only for this life, but more
importantly the next life?
Good post. This is a subject that I've thought a lot about in recent years. The best way I can answer your final question would be summarized like this:
ReplyDelete#1 - Know the truth.
#2 - Live the truth in front of your children.
#3 - Encourage your children to know and live the truth themselves.
That's my real wide-angle lens answer of how to spiritually prepare your child. Of course, most people (including myself) typically aren't interested in wide-angle answers. They want details. That's where the devil is...in the details.
Wide-angle is good.
DeleteIt forms a guideline for all behaviors to be filtered through.
That reminds me of previous comments about God's general and specific will that I don't think we agreed on. The specific will never contradicts the general. The specific should be in harmony with, or guided by, the general. But, I believe, there's a thousand ways specifics can get worked out.
Good points Will.
ReplyDeleteWhy do we put SO much emphasis on preparing for school (at all levels)? Because education is the grand and exalted King. Isn't that the message we send at least? I think it's the message we actually fall into believing many times. What do we talk about more - school or God? Should every kid go to college? No. But I think most parents would find it hard to believe that college ISN'T where their kid needs to go. Could you imagine in your wildest dreams a girl standing before the church at the end of her senior year of high school, with everyone else naming the college they're getting ready to go to, and she says: I'm going to get married, have kids, and be a stay-at-home mom?! Heresy!!
Kelsey started 9th grade today, so I'm gonna keep an eye (and a prayer) on how things are going with her.