I have a heart for children, especially children who are not getting what they should at home. And I have a heart for those adults who step up and into these children's lives in an effort to make a difference. Mr. Cathy's book It's Better To Build Boys Than Mend Men is wonderful.
He writes about trust in chapter three. "Children who have been lied to by their parents and others they once trusted no longer trust anybody. When they meet you, they will assume you are another liar. Only honesty and time will change them... Trust grows out of generosity - not giving children everything they want, but giving them what they need. 'A generous man will himself be blessed' (Proverbs 22:9). If you are generous with your time, the thing children need most, you will be blessed with their trust."
As a parent, one of my goals has always been to live in the home where my children and their friends want to hang out. This ambition initially came out of my desire to keep my kids safe; however, it has recently occurred to me that this provision might also give other children their only source of love, happiness, care, concern, acceptance and encouragement. The farther I get down this parenting road, the more I see that the things I do not only reach my children, but their friends and peers as well. I don't want to miss a single opportunity to build a child -- boy or girl -- so that there may be less mending needed in adulthood.
1 comment:
I wish all parents were more like you.
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