When children are born, they are like books full of empty pages. Some have more pages than others, but we don’t know how many pages each one has. What we must understand is that we, as parents and elders, are helping write each page in each book. Each page is filled with something — things trivial and\/or things of value. Somebody is going to write those pages. Especially in the early years, someone other than the child will have the predominant place in writing each page. An infant does practically nothing for himself. Someone teaches him how to eat, how to go to sleep, how to sit up, how to drink, and a little later how to talk and walk.<\/p>\n
The pages are empty at the start. Like soft clay, children are molded, shaped, and refined in all particulars by those who care for them. Indifference to a child’s needs means little will be written that is constructive. If television is the shaper, one should not be surprised by the very undesirable traits that develop. Children have to learn everything except what nature controls, and those things must be refined and controlled. It is far easier to shape a child aright at the first than to reshape to eliminate bad habits and unacceptable behavior. We have very little time to do the writing we can control. Once that time is gone, we have little power to change the product entrusted to our care and shaped by us.<\/p>\n
We need to be reminded of just how empty the pages are at the start. Children must learn eating habits, choices of food and drink, to sleep in their own bed, to share, to be patient, to be respectful of others, to obey, to know when and how to use the restroom, to be still and listen, to read and write, to understand danger and what is dangerous, to control desires that are a part of their nature. They must learn about God and origins of all things, about the purpose of life, about pleasing God and revering Him, about God’s punishment for the disobedient and His reward for the obedient, about duty how to work, the joy of giving and the value of service to others, the value of prayer and how to pray, how to sing wholeheartedly, the importance of punctuality, the importance of keeping one’s word, the high place of honesty and the problems of lying, about proper human relationships, the value of human life, and sexual conduct and purity.<\/p>\n
Habits are created by repeated behavior. If something is harmful, children must learn to avoid it. Consistent unpleasant results make the action undesirable. Where we are today is the result of the writing of each page of the book of our lives, and so it will be for those whose books we are helping to write, page by page. Sobering thought, isn’t it?<\/p>\n
“Chasten your son while there is hope, and do not set your heart on his destruction<\/em>” (Proverbs 19:18).<\/p>\n
“A child left to himself brings shame to his mother<\/em>” (Proverbs 29:15).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Gilbert Alexander via Seeking Things Above When children are born, they are like books full of empty pages. Some have more pages than others, but we don’t know how many pages each one has. What we must understand is that we, as parents and elders, are helping write each page in each book. Each…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27,1028],"tags":[665,29,107],"class_list":["post-97314","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","category-parenting","tag-child-rearing","tag-parenting","tag-raising-children"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":63224,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/parenting-newborns-learning-patience\/","url_meta":{"origin":97314,"position":0},"title":"Parenting Newborns: Learning Patience","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 4, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Peter 5:6-11 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Many changes comes to a family when a child is born \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Preparation is made for the coming years \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0With a newborn, it is the parents, not the child who have much to learn \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0We could speak of love, devotion, but the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":33128,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/i-want-to-compliment-you-on-your-answers-on-spanking\/","url_meta":{"origin":97314,"position":1},"title":"I want to compliment you on your answers on spanking","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 6, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Sir, I wanted to compliment you on your answers on spanking. I am not a believer in any faith, but I have my own feeling about morality and social beliefs. I keep hearing about \"all these religious people who beat their kids.\" Well, I was spanked as a boy,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":13917,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-do-you-suggest-is-a-proper-bedtime-for-preteens-and-teenagers\/","url_meta":{"origin":97314,"position":2},"title":"What do you suggest is a proper bedtime for preteens and teenagers?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 24, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Thank you for a great site. I have one question. I have three children: two girls (ages 15 and 9) and a boy (age 12). One of my daughters asked permission to sleepover at one of her girlfriend's home. I contacted the girlfriend's mother and informed her about my\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Adolescence"","block_context":{"text":"Adolescence","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/parenting\/adolescence\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":25446,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-i-get-a-printed-copy-of-your-site\/","url_meta":{"origin":97314,"position":3},"title":"Can I get a printed copy of your site?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 7, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have seen your site and the great information that you have presented in it and I cannot tell you how much it has been of help to me in my preaching and studies. If you please, do you have it in a book form? If you have it,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":82724,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/two-necessary-things-in-christian-parenting\/","url_meta":{"origin":97314,"position":4},"title":"Two Necessary Things in Christian Parenting","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 31, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jen Venuso Whether or not you make New Year's resolutions (I've been both), you're likely reflecting on the past and looking forward to the next year. Right now, I'm heavily in the throes of parenting, so much of my reflection settles there. As a bio\/foster\/adoptive mom to seven kids\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/children-300x200.avif","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":17809,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/from-the-point-of-view-of-parenting-children-what-am-i-to-learn-from-luke-241-52\/","url_meta":{"origin":97314,"position":5},"title":"From the point of view of parenting children, what am I to learn from Luke 2:41-52?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 16, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: From the point of view of parenting children, what am I to learn from Luke 2:41-52? What principle did Jesus learn from this experience? 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