Bringing Up a Moral Child

"When I grow up, I want to be just like my dad," the boy in the television commercial reassured us. The scene showed a proud father and son sitting together under a large oak tree. Each time the father moved, his son imitated him. The ad closed with the father reaching into his pocket for a cigarette and lighting it. The camera closed in on the little boy as he picked up a small twig, placed it between his fingers and raised it to his mouth just as his hero, his father, had done.

The voice-over finished the scene with, "When I grow up, I want to be just like my dad."

Our children are getting an education. But who-and what-is doing the educating? What good and bad influences are hard at work in the minds of our children, forming and shaping them? If you are a parent, are you the guiding force in shaping your child's thoughts and moral standards? If not, how can you become the primary influence in the life of your child?

Being a parent is a complex responsibility. In many families both parents hold down jobs, trying to keep up with the needs
of family, house, car and so many other things. The pressures can be staggering. It's no wonder so many parents feel overwhelmed when they consider their child-rearing responsibilities-and the world our children are inheriting. Such is symptomatic of the moral malaise we face.

Just how bad is it? What are some of the problems parents face as we near the 21st century? What can we do about them?

Rise of the antiheroes

Chicago Tribune columnist Robert Davis, in a recent article titled "Naughty as They Wanna Be," asked: "Have we lost the capacity to be shocked by language?"

Read the full article at www.gnmagazine.org/issues/gn11/moralchild.htm

Related Information on UCG Sites:

Table of Contents that includes "Bringing Up a Moral Child"
Other Articles by Jerold Aust
Re-published from an earlier version

Parenting children - religion:

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Parenting children - advice:

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