Yes, parents, you are the defender and protector of your child(ren).
You get rid of monsters in bedrooms, kiss away the pain of boo-boos, and assure them that vegetables are an important food group.
It makes sense that you want to protect them from all things bad that could happen in school: bullies, forgotten homework, unfair teacher and principal decisions, lack of learning.
It is the staggering genius of God that he houses us in bodies that begin as children. We come out with an unmatched eagerness to discover what this world is all about. In our young beginnings, we are not encased in the hardness of constant complaining, the heartbreak of regret, or the fear of failure.
We are, simply, all about discovery. In our childhood days, the world is the most exciting place. If cared for properly, that discovery is the heart your child carries into the new school year. Just as we learn fear, regret and complaining, we can be led just as easily along paths of discovery.
Parents, if you protected your children from every fall and bump at home, they would grow up with bruises of helplessness. One of the mysteries of being human is that we strengthen through pain and suffering.
The idea here is that the sturdiest young adults are those blessed with a childhood that navigated its way through some school suffering. They have, in all likelihood, been bullied, penalized for forgotten homework, mistreated by a less-than-stellar teacher and/or principal, and suffered some hours of wasted time.
Being a great defender and protector of your children on these school suffering days may be counterintuitive; the best reaction is sometimes to absorb their pain with your unmatched empathy and then gently help them see that the world has its unfair ways and days. Help them pray for wisdom to meet the hard moments and grace to pick themselves up and go discover once again.
With this type of parental protection, your children learn that they are positive and powerful young people who can move into a harsh, adult world with usefulness and productivity. They can absorb the knocks and return wisdom and grace. They can live sturdy.
Tomorrow: The truth about learning.
Comments are welcome at feedyourstrength@gmail.com.
