Parenting Roots Are Foundational Teachings That Strengthen Children For A Lifetime
Parenting Roots are the foundational teachings (both moral and religious) that parents lay down while teaching their children, and which eventually bear life-sustaining fruit in the lives of their children. Just as the roots of a tree serve to anchor the tree in place, so also Parenting Roots are the fundamental moral and religious teachings that parents instill in their children that will serve to anchor their children in place, giving them a firm and constant moral foundation upon which to build their lives. These moral and religious foundations are necessary in order to help instill in our children the values that are important to us as individuals, and help to create the Family Rules & Culture that exists within our homes. The roots of a tree also serve to nourish a tree, and so also Parenting Roots will become a source of emotional comfort and nourishment to our children as the foundational teachings that parents share with their children nourish their children’s souls in a world whose values are shifting and changing at an ever-increasing and alarming rate.
The terms ‘moral’ and ‘religious’ can be used interchangeably, but those two terms are used together here so that those parents who may not view themselves as ‘religious people’ will still get the Vision that children need fundamental moral teachings to anchor them in a world whose values often shift, and that children who are not brought up with certain life truths will be at a disadvantage in a world that values honesty and integrity as virtues, but often lacks the means of instilling these values into our children outside of the home. And just as a tree starts as a seed or young sapling, so also our children’s moral and religious compasses start as small and simple parental teachings (Don't Lie, Don't Argue and Fight with your siblings, Don't Abuse Drugs & Alcohol, and so forth), that plants the seeds of solid truths that our children need to excel in the world of today, and definitely in the world of tomorrow. Parenting Roots start as small and simple beginnings, and yet those simple and powerful teachings will become a sure foundation upon which our children can build a happy and productive future. An apple seed will grow into an apple tree, a pine seed will grow into a pine tree; so also the Foundational Parenting Teachings that we lay down for our children by our actions and examples, those things that help our children build true Self-Esteem, will determine to a very large extent the type of people our children will grow up to be. That is what makes proper parenting so challenging; it requires parents to BE ON A DAILY BASIS the type of people they want their children to grow up to become. To be a great parent requires change and improvement in our own lives; to be able to teach by example the children who always look up to us, and who inevitably follow the Parenting Roots examples we show them to follow. And just as it takes years for a tree to grow and become what it is meant to be, so also our Parenting Roots take years and years of Consistent Teaching to our children until their full and glorious affect is seen in the happy lives of our grown and growing children. Parenting Roots requires patience and faith as their results are slow in coming – though they always do arrive. So don’t be inpatient as all good trees take time to grow and develop, all good children take love and patience and time to grow healthy and mature, and all good things come in their own good time, and simply cannot be rushed. There is a lot more parenting wisdom to share. Here is another Parenting Roots thought: Our moral teachings are necessary for our children's growth and happiness. The more proactive and conscientious we as parents are about our loving and consistent efforts to share them with our children, from the earliest ages, the more useful those moral and religious roots will be in the lives of our children. If we help these roots to go down deep into the hearts, minds and souls of our children, then when the storms of life hit them (As they inevitably will during the length of a lifetime), then our children will have the foundation needed to withstand the storms of life and to put them in their proper perspective at any time, for any reason, over and over again. Return from the Parenting Roots Page to the Family Rules & Rewards Page |
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