Today is my birthday and it feels just like any other day, as usual. One of my cousins wrote and made a comment about me being two years older than his sister which would make me only 68 since "she's stuck on 66." I wrote him back and said I'd rather just keep moving onward and upward since being stuck on an age means you're dead.
Today I'm thinking about two things. One is why people don't like telling their age. I have never lied about my age. I may lie about my weight, but never my age. Are those two facts the same. People can see how big or small I am, but to tell what I weigh? Never. I can't even believe it myself.
The other thing I'm thinking about is how parents raise kids. I didn't do such a bang-up job of it but the only book I had that told me how to do it was the way I was raised. Some of that wasn't right but it was a lot better than Dr. Spock who came out a few years too late for me. Besides, I could never have done it his way.
This morning's article by John Rosemond was excellent. It told how to potty train, which is my big concern now for someone I know. Since the optimum age is between 18 and 24 months and this child is nearly three, I wish I could help this mom. But, she hasn't asked for my help is probably doing fine without me. I would hate to be changing a three year old's dirty diaper. Maybe my reason for potty training my girls was that very reason.
John Rosemond has a great Internet site. Too bad I'm not brave enough to send it to people with kids. http://www.rosemond.com/
Still, what do I care? I'm not having to change any of those diapers. Maybe I better mind my own business and get over it!
Showing posts with label John Rosemond. Show all posts
Showing posts with label John Rosemond. Show all posts
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Child Rearing and God Rearing
We had a big discussion last night at one of the groups we attend. The lesson was "Why Does God Allow Bad Things To Happen?" The scripture in Romans 8:28 came up. Does God make good come out of bad all the time? Or do we have the choice to make good come from something bad that happens? One of the men said God is always the same. He doesn't do anything to cause it or make good out of bad. Others thought God does have a hand in our lives, but doesn't make bad happen to us. Bad things just happen and we don't understand why. On our end all we can do is trust Him to get us through bad things. That's the part that's good--learning to trust Him more every day.
I don't think we'll ever understand God while we're in this realm. We might be able to when we're living in eternity with Him, but I'm not even sure about that. This morning I read John Rosemond's column about "Kids' opinions matter not in their rearing." As usual he's right on. He says that it is the right of our children to be governed well, just as it is the right of a populace to be governed well. Children lack good sense and have no concept about what is ahead of them, so they can't be allowed to make choices about their preferences if those preferences are bad for them. They'll reject what is good every time. They'd rather eat ice cream than salad or play video games rather than do chores. It's up to the parents (and teachers) to provide the restraint and direction that they can't provide for themselves.
"Proper restraint and proper direction are essential to turning the antisocial toddler into a disciple who will trust and look up to his or her parents, follow their lead and subscribe to their values." I heard someone say recently that we are turning out high school and college students who have no moral compass. It's pretty obvious that's because of the faulty child-rearing techniques of the past 20 years.
One part of Rosemond's column I love is this: "Irrespective of IQ, children do not think correctly....Parents think discipline is all about shaping proper behavior by manipulating reward and punishment. That's not discipline; that's behavior modification....and that's how one trains a rat, not a human being."
All this brought me back to our discussion from last night. I don't believe God punishes us for doing something wrong or rewards us for doing something right. That's behavior modification. What God is after is trust--trusting Him all the time. And He's wanting us to obey Him. He doesn't consult us about what we think is the best for us. He sets our standards and asks us to follow them.
I don't think we'll ever understand God while we're in this realm. We might be able to when we're living in eternity with Him, but I'm not even sure about that. This morning I read John Rosemond's column about "Kids' opinions matter not in their rearing." As usual he's right on. He says that it is the right of our children to be governed well, just as it is the right of a populace to be governed well. Children lack good sense and have no concept about what is ahead of them, so they can't be allowed to make choices about their preferences if those preferences are bad for them. They'll reject what is good every time. They'd rather eat ice cream than salad or play video games rather than do chores. It's up to the parents (and teachers) to provide the restraint and direction that they can't provide for themselves.
"Proper restraint and proper direction are essential to turning the antisocial toddler into a disciple who will trust and look up to his or her parents, follow their lead and subscribe to their values." I heard someone say recently that we are turning out high school and college students who have no moral compass. It's pretty obvious that's because of the faulty child-rearing techniques of the past 20 years.
One part of Rosemond's column I love is this: "Irrespective of IQ, children do not think correctly....Parents think discipline is all about shaping proper behavior by manipulating reward and punishment. That's not discipline; that's behavior modification....and that's how one trains a rat, not a human being."
All this brought me back to our discussion from last night. I don't believe God punishes us for doing something wrong or rewards us for doing something right. That's behavior modification. What God is after is trust--trusting Him all the time. And He's wanting us to obey Him. He doesn't consult us about what we think is the best for us. He sets our standards and asks us to follow them.
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