Wednesday; December 14

The other day I was around a young man who was kind of having a tough day. You could tell he wasn’t doing what he wanted to do. I decided to ask if he would like to help me with a task, and immediately, his countenance changed. He perked up and handled the responsibility well. In fact, I believe he actually enjoyed doing it. As I look back, I wonder if he enjoyed being asked to do something “grown up” or if was the fact that a “gown up” asked him to do it. Either way, his day got better and mine got easier.

As I thought about this, I wondered if our children miss out on being asked to do age-appropriate tasks? I understand trying to make their lives easier, but the sense of feeling useful can change attitudes and behaviors. I believe we have an innate desire to be helpful and, when we are asked to help, it makes it even more special and more fun. I understand that projects can take twice as long when shared with a child, but the lessons they learn and the memories we make just might last a lifetime.

Often, when we think about raising proper children, we refer back to the words of wisdom, “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6). While this is applicable to morality, I think it applies to work ethic as well. Let’s be willing to involve our children in tasks. It’s less about child labor and more about child love.

Think About It!

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