THE BLOG

Recently someone asked me to give my best advice for raising children. As I developed my answer, my goal was to provide an answer that would transcend cultural context and be beneficial to parents at any given point in time. What follows is the result of my ponderings. I share it in hopes that it will bless you as a parent or grandparent.

Of all the first days of the months of the year, January 1 carries the greatest burden of all day 1’s. Because January 1 is printed on a calendar with a brand new year, it carries the burden of the perception of new beginnings and fresh starts. With the change of the year comes the idea that January 1 provides an opportunity to begin anew. Often our desires and intentions for those new beginnings and fresh starts are verbalized in New Year’s resolutions. The challenge that comes with the average resolution is that instead of it being a firm commitment to do or not to do something, it is simply an expression of a desire or intention for change with no real commitment backing it up. As a result, many, in their pursuit of a successful life as defined by themselves, live from one January 1 to the next, finishing the year with nothing but broken resolutions to show for their efforts for meaningful change.

Even though some retail stores have been displaying Christmas products since the middle of summer, now that we see December and its dates on our calendars, we can officially declare that Christmas is here.  I want you to stop for a moment and recall the details of The Christmas Story.  Now think about this.  The little Baby Jesus whose birth we celebrate at Christmas time grew up…