It’s Childs Play…

Johnny.-on-the-Spot … by John Foster …

There’s a church up the street from where I live that has a message board with the thought, “Deal With Minor Problems Before they Get Old”.

Might be the key to raising kids.

I’ve never thought it should takes a village to raise a child.

I believe that sentiment was from the mouths of those who thought they were too busy to raise their own youngsters.

It amazes me that we entrust the most important job in the world (raising children) largely to a bunch of amateurs.

My wife and I never went to school and took Parenting 101.

Neither did our parents.

But, at this vantage points in our lives, we think they did okay and so did we.

How’d that happen?

I guess we were blessed to come from families that stumbled mostly in the right direction.

I think my wife and I pretty much parented from the perspective we gained from our own parents.

Were our parents perfect?

No.

Did my wife and I do all the right things?

Surely you jest.

But the proof is in the pudding, so to speak.

I will never forget a moment when were were at an elementary school event, waiting for the festivities to get underway.

Our two daughters were with a group of students and a few of them were behaving badly.

Our daughters kept glancing our way with a look on their faces asking, “Why are these kids acting like that and getting away with it?’

It was then that I thought maybe my wife and I had achieved a passing “parenting” grade.

However, as soon as I thought that, a chill went down my back.

Would we have realized we weren’t doing the right thing had their reaction been different?

The fact that they were already 10 and 7 years old made me realize how tough it might might have been to “right the ship”.

A number of years ago, we were attending a marching band competition on of the “kidlings” was involved with.

It was on a cold November afternoon and the high school bleacher seats were unforgiving.

My son-in-law grumbled something about not really wanting to be there.

I said, “The way I see it, we can be sitting here at this band competition or outside juvenile court”.

We both agreed the marching band competition was a better option.

We never “pushed” our daughters to perform or compete, but we always supported encouraged them.

We were never the loud and raucous ones but when they looked into the stands, they would see us.

They knew what they were doing was important so they always tried their best.

Same with the grandkids.

Youngsters aren’t stupid.

One of my life passions is a thing called “The Cheer Fund”.

One of my grandkids would ride with me every Christmas season to deliver toys to youngsters not as fortunate as us.

One year with my oldest grandson, we dropped off toys at a home where they had a big screen TV and a huge stereo component set.

I could see a look of confusion in my grandson’s eyes.

When I ask him about that, he wondered aloud why we were taking gifts to a house with a better TV and stereo than his family had.

I had to remind him that the kids’ beds were actually drawers in a chest of cabinets in the same room where the TV and stereo was.

He asked, “Why is that?”

I told him his parents thought his own security, comfort and privacy was more important that the huge TV and glitzy stereo.

His eyes told me that he got it.

Then we went to the restaurant for the traditional breakfast on Grandpa’s tab.

It was the same for his sister and then for his younger brother.

We’re getting close to “aging out” on that tradition but I think the impact has reinforced something lasting in all 4 of us.

A couple of closing thoughts.

The “Parenting Coach” Sue Atkins said, “There is no such thing as a perfect parent. So just be a real one”.

Writer Ron Baratono thinks, “If we are wonderful parents and family members, then there is really nothing to prove”.

Didn’t I say earlier that the proof is in the pudding?