 CHILDREN, CHILDREN, CHILDREN
One day a little girl was sitting and watching
her mother do the dishes at the kitchen sink. She suddenly noticed that her mother had several strands of white hair sticking
out in contrast on her brunette head. She looked at her mother and inquisitively asked, "Why are some of your hairs white,
Mom?" Her mother replied, "Well, every time that you do something
wrong and make me cry or unhappy, one of my hairs turns white." The little girl thought about this revelation for a while
and then said, "Momma? you must have been a very very bad girl. Grandma's hairs are ALL white?"
The children had all been photographed,
and the teacher was trying to persuade them each to buy a copy of the group picture. "Just think how nice it will be
to look at it when you are all grown up and say, 'There's Jennifer, she's a lawyer,' or 'That's Michael, He's a doctor.' A
small voice at the back of the room rang out, "And there's the teacher, she's dead."
A teacher was giving a lesson on the circulation
of the blood. Trying to make the matter clearer, she said, "Now, class, if I stood on my head, the blood, as you know,
would run into it, and I would turn red in the face." "Yes," the class said. "Then why is it that
while I am standing upright in the ordinary position the blood doesn't run into my feet?" A little fellow shouted, "Cause
your feet ain't empty."
The children were lined up in the cafeteria of a Catholic elementary school for lunch. At the head
of the table was a large pile of apples. The nun made a note, and posted on the apple tray: "Take only ONE. God
is watching." Moving further along the lunch line, at the other end of the table was a large pile of chocolate chip cookies.
A child had written a note, "Take all you want. God is watching the apples. |
 As parents, our children look to us and our example to guide them. Through the guidance of loving parents
and dedicated teachers, small children can become familiar with the scriptures and the spirit that accompanies them.
When we consistently live what the scriptures teach, we provide them with an anchor that will guide them in discerning truth
in a world of conflicting values. With the scriptures as a reference point, we can help them process their experiences and
the consequences of their choices. By so doing, we help them keep the eternal perspective always in focus so they never forget
who they are and where they are going. There can be no greater joy than to know that our children love
the Lord, no greater peace than that which comes when we feel of His love and understand the meaning of His atoning sacrifice.
That spirit which comes when we share sacred things of the heart will bond us together as families. John expressed it well:
"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth" (3 Jn. 1:4).
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