Have you ever thought of what you are leaving behind for your kids and grandchildren when you leave this earth? What kind of legacy you are leaving them? What values are you teaching them? I am not talking about money because that does not prove a thing about love and heart and what good morals are. Money can buy things but it does not teach values and respect.

Have you taught them what to do if times are tough? How to cook from scratch? How to sew their own clothes? Have you taught them that homemade has more heart then store-bought when it comes to certain things? Have you shown them how to corner clean instead of just surface wipe? Not just their homes but their hearts and lives as well.

Have you shared with them a favorite recipe that has been handed down for generations? Have you taught them about honesty and humility and how to say "I'm sorry"?  How not to cheat others just because others have cheated you? Have you taught them that revenge is not the answer to things but that showing patience and kindness and heart will help others more than getting even will? Have you taught them that to share is so much better then being selfish and self centered? 

Have you explained to them that hard work is more rewarding then just having things handed to them for free and that hard work will bring self gratification and pride in yourself? Have they learned that a brand name on a product does not necessarily mean it is the best or that it will last forever because sometimes it seems that we live in a world that is more interested in quantity then quality?

Children need to be taught to believe in themselves and in their dreams and should not be ridiculed because you think their ideas are silly or far fetched. After all the children of today will be the leaders of tomorrow and some of their ideas just might make this a better world to live in. 

Children need to know that their bodies are their own and should not be touched in any fashion that is abusive or sexual or offensive in any way. They need to know that they can come to you about anything and everything and you will listen to them and believe in them. Children need to learn that you will not only listen but hear what they are saying to you. This is one of the most important lessons of all because a child who is listened to and believed in is a child you can save from a horrible fate.

As I watch my grandchildren grow and learn I have to wonder if maybe one day one of them will be in a position to help run our country. Who knows? It could be your grandchild or mine who decides about funding for the homeless or the elderly or the sick. Will they have learned enough values and morals and rights and wrongs to do this to the best of their ability? 

It is up to us as parents and grandparents to try our very best to teach our young people good decent basics in life. The basics that made our ancestors and heroes the people they were. Since the world began there have been leaders and followers. There have been teachers and students. We must be the teachers and show our young people how to survive and carry on along a path that will set an example for the children who will follow them. 

School may teach them to read and write and do math equations but we must continue to teach them, when they are in our presence, about living life to its fullest and how to survive all kinds of storms that come along the paths they will walk to their future. 

What are you teaching the young people of today?

Until next time 
hugs
Misker