This past weekend, I spent four days in Toronto, a city of over 2.6 million people. I spent a lot of time on the streets, walking from here to there. Often I would see groups of young men and women, approximately 20 to 25 years old, wandering the streets, many smoking cigarettes, some intoxicated, many dressed in black, heavily tattooed, with lots of body piercings. Many just wandered the streets, others were in and out of bars, strip joints, pornographic shops or just standing around streets corners. Perhaps I noticed these groups of young men and women because I was with my own twenty-two year old son, but nonetheless, seeing them brought me to a place of quiet contemplation and processing of what I observed.
I began thinking of my own children, feeling very blessed by their presence in my life. Even though I know I was not the perfect parent, I gave it my best. I understood my role as a parent, their first teacher, not as their first best friend. I showered them with love and understanding as well as provided boundaries to help them feel secure, sometimes doubting my own ability as a parent in the process but never giving up on them. I understood that my three sons were very different individuals on their road to self-discovery. I encouraged them, wiped their tears yet gave them space to feel their varied emotions or to fulfill the need to be alone. At the same time, I involved them in family responsibilities as well in a variety of activities both indoors and outdoors in order to provide them with a broader spectrum of what life has to offer.
Today, I am proud of my sons. I have watched as they have integrated all they have experienced and learned to become who they are today. All of them have become very creative, sensitive individuals who have followed the beat of their own inner drums, sometimes not easy in a society quick to judge others often based on the materialistic world.
I am not writing this to boast my parenting skills nor to boast about my children. Nor am I here to judge in any way. I am writing this as a plea to parents out there to please take a look at what you are offering to your children as a parent. Your children need you. Are you teaching them the necessary tools for life and showing them by your example how to cope with everyday life in positive ways and how to make sound decisions? Are you providing a safe container of love at home along with encouragement and confidence? Are you letting go of judgment and competition often churned by other parents and members of society in general? Are you creating a sense of balance within yourself that is passed on to your children?
Believe in your children and understand that each one is a separate individual. Create boundaries and don’t be afraid to show them the way. Limit their use of electronic devices especially video games that do not nourish them at all but rather create disturbances within their rapidly developing young minds. Don’t you think it’s rather interesting that the labeling of children attention deficit or hyperactive has increased over the years since the video games have taken over the homes? It doesn’t take scientific research to see the correlation. Bring your beautiful children outside, encourage creativity, shower them with understanding and love. Take time for them so that you have no regrets later. They are your precious gifts. They need you, and you need them, for they are the future of this world we live in. Ask the angels to help you become stronger loving parents.
I began thinking of my own children, feeling very blessed by their presence in my life. Even though I know I was not the perfect parent, I gave it my best. I understood my role as a parent, their first teacher, not as their first best friend. I showered them with love and understanding as well as provided boundaries to help them feel secure, sometimes doubting my own ability as a parent in the process but never giving up on them. I understood that my three sons were very different individuals on their road to self-discovery. I encouraged them, wiped their tears yet gave them space to feel their varied emotions or to fulfill the need to be alone. At the same time, I involved them in family responsibilities as well in a variety of activities both indoors and outdoors in order to provide them with a broader spectrum of what life has to offer.
Today, I am proud of my sons. I have watched as they have integrated all they have experienced and learned to become who they are today. All of them have become very creative, sensitive individuals who have followed the beat of their own inner drums, sometimes not easy in a society quick to judge others often based on the materialistic world.
I am not writing this to boast my parenting skills nor to boast about my children. Nor am I here to judge in any way. I am writing this as a plea to parents out there to please take a look at what you are offering to your children as a parent. Your children need you. Are you teaching them the necessary tools for life and showing them by your example how to cope with everyday life in positive ways and how to make sound decisions? Are you providing a safe container of love at home along with encouragement and confidence? Are you letting go of judgment and competition often churned by other parents and members of society in general? Are you creating a sense of balance within yourself that is passed on to your children?
Believe in your children and understand that each one is a separate individual. Create boundaries and don’t be afraid to show them the way. Limit their use of electronic devices especially video games that do not nourish them at all but rather create disturbances within their rapidly developing young minds. Don’t you think it’s rather interesting that the labeling of children attention deficit or hyperactive has increased over the years since the video games have taken over the homes? It doesn’t take scientific research to see the correlation. Bring your beautiful children outside, encourage creativity, shower them with understanding and love. Take time for them so that you have no regrets later. They are your precious gifts. They need you, and you need them, for they are the future of this world we live in. Ask the angels to help you become stronger loving parents.
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