Striving for holiness and piety by parents will set the standard in the home. Our children will want to be a part of this if we are sincere in our efforts. The first and foremost responsibility of parents is to form their children to love God and obey His commandments. We all are imperfect and make mistakes but if we strive for personal holiness we will grow in our daily journey to become a holy family.
God did not stipulate that the right to teach a child about Him is conditional, that it depends on a certain criteria, it was based on His laws. He is always faithful and true but often times we are not faithful.
As parents we are the primary educators of our children, thus, it should be a daily task, not just a Sunday task, to teach and indoctrinate our children in Christian values. This is such a valuable task yet so many parents rely on the Church or others to teach the faith. In order for our children to grow in the faith we must be their to nurture them along in their journey.
We must understand that God is King over this world and that He should be the King over our hearts. Holiness requires that we give Him glory in all that we do. The ultimate glory for man is to enjoy being with God in all eternity.
We must teach our children to love God from an early age. Loving God requires purity of heart, humility, and meekness. In forming and disciplining your child, there will be many opportunities for you to teach them about the qaulities of holiness. Children, as well as parents, must learn to speak and live the true faith, denounce pride and open to learning the faith.
It is good practice to study and discuss the faith with our children on a daily basis. As children our young their minds are like little sponges waiting to soak up information. We must take advantage of this time in their lives. If we fail to teach the faith in the home and rely soley on the outside world our children will be lost and it will be difficult to bring them back. This creates great heartache among parents, although the parents are often to blame. We must be interested in sharing the faith with our children and not concentrate so much on worldly treasures.
Our faith is a great treasure and we must share it within the home. The Catholic faith is like a giant castle with many doors and behind these doors are answers to life’s problems. We have the Sacraments that bring us closer to God and they help us develop our love and understanding of true holiness. It sad to see the face of the world with so much decay from sin and evil. We have to understand as parents that our children will only receive the full understanding of the faith from us, not from the pulpit or a Sunday school teacher. This is not enough to save their little souls.
True holiness means we will defy the outside worldly way and plug our ears from anti-Christian media and education and open our ears to God’s Word and the teachings of the Catholic Church founded by Jesus Christ.
Every parent must be a student of truth and strive to make God a part of each child’s day, whether he is learning to get along with others or just washing the dishes. Holiness within the home reflects the Spirit of Christ in all we do, this is true piety and holy living. We must react as parents and realize that we must lead our children to heaven through God and the true faith.
Children need to Learn Respect
True reverence for God and respect of others must be taught within the home. On several occasions I had to teach my children how to talk to people properly with respect. They were not being disrespectful on purpose but they did not respond properly when asked a question by an adult.
Reverence towards others starts first with respect and honor to the parents. You can go to a grocery store and see that our society just by conversation, has not been taught to honor your father and mother. The respect for parents should be extended to elders, brothers and sisters. When the respect for one another is in the home, the family unit will be much more pleasant.
Children and Schooling
Children who are “socialized”through years of public education often develop poor attitudes toward other children in their own families. The younger children are often seen as pests. With homeschool children, they are taught to work, study and play together and they learn to respect each other. This love and respect gives children a greater appreciationfor the life God has created. Homeschooling parents have often asked the question about socialization. What the secular educator and the common person mean about socialization are two different things. Most people, when the express the concern about socialization are referring to what we call social skills, the ability to get along with others. The government has convinced many that a child can learn all these skills in a public school system. If we look for truth, we can see that the public school system has failed to teach, compassion, tolerance, patience and the list goes on. God made a better way, it is in the home. The home is the best way to learn the social skills needed to become the best person in society.
The child who learns to get along with his other siblings will get along in society. If they learn to respect the rights and property of others in the home, they will also respect the rights of others in society. Many parents have abandoned teaching in the home and we can look around and see the fruits within our society.
Wisdom Among Parents and Children
As parents we must not relinquish our authority to the church, youth groups and other outside groups just for the sake of fun. If your children are involved in outside activities make sure you investigate the purposes of these groups. Be aware that these outside groups could be a contributing cause to the breakdown of the family.
Make your home the center of family activity filled with joy. Invite like-minded friends and family members over to share in the fun. In this way you will be able to continue to train your children during the important days before they become responsible adults.
What a joy a wise child is to his mother and father. He has become strong in character, intelligent, industrious and informed. When a child is formed properly in life situations and in their faith, they will become the light in a room full of darkness. Holiness does not just happen without effort. This effort must be done by both, the parents and children. Once this is accomplished the rest lies in the hands of God.
