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?
