We got a new kitten. Anita felt sorry for our adult female cat (named Michael Tyson) being all alone, so we agreed to get a baby kitten. This one is a male and just old enough to separate from its mother. Anita asked me to name him, so he has been dubbed ‘Gizmo’. She asked me what they meant, and I replied that its a nickname for ‘Gadget’.
But Tyson is not about to be consoled by the male Gizmo. She hisses and bats him around. So Anita was sitting on the porch yesterday trying to get them to make friends. Not happening. These two cats are going to have to work out their differences on their own as they carry out their ‘turf war’ and establish their own ‘pecking order’.
I was reflecting on Anita’s vain efforts while mowing the lawn Sunday afternoon, and they Lord spoke to my heart. Over the years I’ve had several situations where parents got involved trying to help their adult married children fix their marriages. Its never been helpful! The only way young married couples work out their own ‘turf wars’ is to verbally bat each otther around a bit until they learn how to find what works for them. Every couple has to work that out and parents need to stay out of it and pray for them.
Parents can give advice to each individually, but to get into the fray is always disastrous. For parents of adult married children, the best advice is to only respond to questions asked. That’s when they’re ready to listen.
Tags: conflicts, marriage, parenting
A father was explaining ethics to his son who was about to go into business: “Suppose a woman comes in and orders $100 worth of material. You wrap it up and give it to her. She pays you with a $100 bill. As she departs through the door you realize that she has given you two $100 bills by mistake. Here’s where the ethics come in. Should you or shouldn’t you tell your partner?”
The father could only pass on the ethics that he himself understood. If the father had a warped, selfish set of ethics. that’s all he could pass on to his son.
Likewise, you can only pass on to your children what is in your heart. By the way, what is in your heart?
Tags: ethics, money, parenting, stealing
Richard Halverson, former chaplain of the U. S. Senate, told of a senator who was called upon by an evangelical group to explain why prayer was outlawed from public schools. The senator stood before the crowd and began by asking them two questions.
“How many of you really want prayer returned to public schools?” he began. Everyone’s had shot up with conviction.
“Second,” he continued, “How many of you dear people took time in the last 24 hours to pray with your own children in your own home?” This time, only a few hands were raised, and other group members squirmed in their seats.
The senator continued, “How is it you expect the public schools to do something for your children that you are unwilling to do in your own homes?”
I think he’s got a point. What do you think about it?
Tags: children, parenting, prayer, school
Parenting can be a difficult job. Someone once had this advice on parenting: “I had a drug problem when I was young: I was drug to church on Sunday morning. I was drug to church for weddings and funerals. I was drug to family reunions and community socials no matter the weather.
“I was drug by my ears when I was disrespectful to adults and teachers. I was also drug to the woodshed when I disobeyed my parents or if I didn’t put forth the best effort in everything that was asked of me.
“I was drug out to pull weeds in mom’s garden and cockle-burs out of dad’s soybean fields. Those drugs are still in my veins; and they affect my behavior in everything I do, say, and think.
“These drugs are stronger than cocaine, crack, or heroin.”
What kind of drug problem did you have as a child at home?
Tags: drugs, parenting