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Parents
【Parents】Little Billy was
allowed to sit in his father’s place at the dinner table one evening when his
father was absent. His slightly older sister, resenting the arrangement,
sneered, “So, you’re the father tonight. All right, how much is two times
seven?”
Without
a moment’s hesitation, Billy replied nonchalantly, “I’m busy. Ask your mother!”
【Parents】Some children
walk the high road
While
others tread the low;
A
parent’s life determines
Which
way a child will go.
【Parents】A young mother,
feeling sorry for herself because of her many responsibilities as a parent, saw
this sign on a local day-care center: “Attention all mothers-Let me love your
children, while you work.”
After
seeing this, the mother went away grateful for the opportunity she had to love
her children herself.
【Parents】Neglect is one of
the most devastating ways a parent can abuse a child. O. Henry, in one of his
short stories, tells of a little girl whose mother had died. When the father
would come home from work, he would fix their meal, then he would sit down with
his paper and pipe, put his feet up on the hassock, and read. The little girl
would come in and say, “Father, would you play with me?” And he would say, “No,
I’m too tired, I’m too busy. Go out in the street and play.” This went on for
so long that finally the little girl grew up on the streets and became what we
would call a streetwalker, a prostitute. Eventually she died, and when, in the
story, her soul appeared at the gates of heaven, St. Peter said to Jesus,
“Here’s this prostitute. Shall we send her to hell?” Jesus said, “No, no; let
her in. But go find the man who refused to play with his little girl, and send
him to hell.”
【Parents】Tips to help
teenagers understand parents:
1.Don’t
be afraid to speak their language. Try using strange sounding phrases like,
“I’ll help you with the dishes” and “Yes.”
2.Try
to understand their music. Play Glenn Miller’s “Moonlight Serenade” on the
stereo until you are accustomed to the sound.
3.Be
patient with the underachiever. When you catch your dieting Mom sneaking salted
peanuts, don’t show your disapproval. Tell her you like fat Moms.
4.Encourage
your parents to talk about their problems. Try to keep in mind that, to them,
things like earning a living and paying off the mortgage seem important.
5.Be
tolerant of their appearance. When Dad gets a haircut, don’t feel personally
humiliated. Remember, it’s important to him to look like his peers.
6.Most
important of all: If they do something you consider wrong, let them know it’s
their behavior you dislike, not themselves.
【Parental Encouragement】Evangelist Bill Glass asked a group of a
thousand prison inmates, “How many of you had parents who told you that you
would end up in prison one day?” Almost every one of the inmates raised his
hand.
【Parental Encouragement】When he was a young boy the great painter
Benjamin West decided to paint a picture of his sister while his mother was not
at home. He got out the bottles of ink and started, but soon had an awful mess.
His mother eventually returned and of course saw the mess. Instead of scolding
him, she picked up the portrait and declared, “What a beautiful picture of your
sister!” Then she kissed him. Later in life he said, “With that kiss I became a
painter.”
【Father】A little boy, frightened by a thunderous
lightning storm, called out one dark night, “Daddy, come. I’m scared.”
“Son,”
the father said, “God loves you and he’ll take care of you.”
“I
know God loves me,” the boy replied. “But right now I want somebody who has
skin on.”
It
is the role of the father to be and demonstrate God, with skin on.
【Father】A little girl followed her father as he
carefully stepped through a new garden. She stepped exactly where he stepped
and said, “Daddy, if you don’t get mud on your feet, I won’t get any mud on
me!”
【Failure of Father】The story is told of a young man who stood
before a judge to be sentenced for forgery. The judge had been a friend of the
boy’s father, who was famous for his books on the law of trusts, “Young man,”
said the judge sternly, “do you remember your father, that father whom you have
disgraced?”
“I
remember him perfectly,” the young man answered quietly. “When I went to him
for advice or companionship, he would say, ‘Run away, boy, I’m busy.’ Well, my
father finished his book, and here I am.”
【Failure of Father】Family-life specialists Delmer W. Holbrook
and his wife have been lecturing and conducting surveys across
“I’m
too tired” took first place.
“We
don’t have enough money” was second.
“Keep
quiet” was third.
【Parents’ Duty to Children】"A child's mind is like a bank--whatever you put in, you get back
in 10 years, with interest." --Frederick Wertham
【Parental Influence】A study once disclosed that if both Mom and Dad attend church regularly,
72% of their children remain faithful.
If only Dad, 55% remain faithful.
If only Mom, 15%. If neither
attended regularly, only 6% remain faithful. The statistics speak for themselves -
the example of parents and adults is more important than all the efforts of the
church and Sunday school. --Warren Mueller, Homemade May, 1990
【Parental Weaknesses】Who is responsible for what decisions around the home? A
Women are responsible for:
* Deciding
what's for dinner and then preparing it
* Managing the
household budget
* Raising the
children
Men and women share the
responsibilities for deciding:
* Where to go on
vacation
* How much to
spend on major purchases
* How much
insurance to carry and where to buy it
Men are responsible for:
* Deciding what
to watch on television.
"That's
it? That's it. Virtually all other decisions are made
jointly or made by the woman.
Really."
【Motherhood】A small boy invaded the lingerie section
of a large department store and shyly presented his problem to a woman clerk in
the lingerie department. “I want to buy s lip as a present for my mom,” he
said. “But, I don’t know what size she wears.”
“is
she tall or short, fat or skinny?” asked the clerk.
“She’s
just perfect,” beamed the small boy. So the clerk wrapped up a size 34 for him.
Two
days later, Mom came to the store by herself and changed the slip to a size 52.
【Motherhood】A London editor submitted to Winston
Churchill for his approval a list of all those who had been Churchill’s
teachers. Churchill returned the list with this comment: “You have omitted to
mention the greatest of my teachers-my mother.”