Teach Balance to Children
“The most important human endeavor is the striving for morality in our actions. Our inner balance and even our very existence depend on it. Only morality in our actions can give beauty and dignity to life.”~~~ Albert Einstein
While I was having breakfast this morning, I was listening to the news and hearing all this fiasco about Paris Hilton and whether she was going to cool her heels in the clink or in her luxurious mansion. That got me thinking about what happens when we spoil children. Sure, Paris Hilton is the ultimate spoiled child — and using her as an example for this article is a stretch, to say the least, but it does give me a lead into some thoughts I have about the effects of not teaching our kids the value of balance in their lives.
There is a known fact that needs to be said at the outset of what I’m going to write this morning — and that is — most parents and grandparents are instinctively moved to love — to nurture — to provide for their children and grandchildren. That’s a given — and it’s the way it should be. Those children and grandchildren are a part of us and we want to see them as happy as possible.
It’s also a shame when that fact isn’t true for some kids.
There’s another known fact that comes into this discussion — and that is that we parents and grandparents have a strong desire to be liked and loved by our offspring, right? There are also many factors in our materialistic society, which, when added to another of our desires that these offspring of ours have everything we didn’t have when we were kids, will lead us to spoil them. And, there are not only one set of parents, there are also usually two sets of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and others who will be showering these wonderful kids with everything they desire without the kids having any concept of where all this “stuff” comes from or what it took to provide all this abundance.
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”~~~ Albert Einstein
We do this in the hope that it will give them fond memories of childhood — or perhaps even help to heal our own emotional wounds. But what we’re really doing is interfering with the teaching of balance in the development of our youngsters.
One of the most precious gifts you can grant the children in your family is the true independence they will gain when they learn to earn what they covet and become stewards of their own happiness. It doesn’t harm these young people to experience life. It doesn’t harm them to learn that in order to have this or that in their life they have to do something to earn it. If we teach them that everything they want just sort of materializes magically, without any effort on their part, then what lesson will they be taking into their own adulthood?
Let them work and earn what they want. When the time comes for them to go to college or enter the workforce, you, and they, will have the confidence that they can both enter and contribute to society with confidence.
Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony.”~~~ Thomas Merton
There is a certain beauty to see a child who is self-reliant — a child who understands that possessions come with a price. When we make the mistake of teaching them that they don’t have to do anything to have what they want, we have also taught them that it’s okay to be lazy — that there’s no need for hard work — and that the needs of others is unimportant. We’re seeing more and more of that in many of the youngsters today. It’s really a shame — but it’s our own fault.
Sure, it feels good to give them gifts on special occasions — and I’m not proposing that we shouldn’t do that. I’m saying that we shouldn’t be doing this out of fear that the kids won’t love us if we don’t. I’m saying that they shouldn’t get everything they want without earning it. We’re not helping them when we give in to their every materialistic demand. Isn’t it true, that the children who are given an abundance of acceptance, love, affection, and structure, are kinder, more charitable, and especially, more responsible than those who have been spoiled?
Kids who know that they are loved unconditionally will usually have a much stronger sense of self — a sense that goes far beyond just having lots of possessions. When they become adults they will understand that they are responsible for building the life they desire — they’ll understand the steps they need to take to make that happen — as long as someone, like you, teaches them these values. If you find yourself giving in to every whim of the youngsters in your life, ask yourself why. You may discover that you’re trying to answer for what you feel is lacking in your own life.
It’s not easy — I don’t argue with that. It’s a challenging process to teach the children in our lives to respect the value of money and self-sufficiency as they grow into young adults. This is especially true in today’s society where so many children are being either spoiled or neglected. Think about the consequences for them if we don’t teach them these valuable insights into reality. Think about how much harder they will have to struggle when the realities of life come roaring into their existence one day. It may be difficult for us to watch them as they struggle for a goal while they’re still in their pre-teens or younger — but imagine how it will affect us to watch them flounder as adults if they don’t know how the world works. Imagine how it will make THEM feel!
Our job in the younger years is to be by their side as they struggle to meet some personal goal — to be there offering sound advice — giving them the wisdom of our own experience to help them. I guarantee that you’ll get a much greater sense of satisfaction and comfort from knowing you are helping them to prepare for the future in this way rather than by just giving them what they want. When you make the choice not to spoil the children in your life, not only will you receive tremendous rewards and blessings, but so will they. Teaching them the values of having balance in their lives will give you so many opportunities to show compassion, love, and understanding. You will be playing an important part in their growth as they travel the road toward adulthood.
“Problems arise in that one has to find a balance between what people need from you and what you need for yourself”~~~ Jessye Norman
“Only as high as I reach can I grow, only as far as I seek can I go, only as deep as I look can I see, only as much as I dream can I be.”~~~ Karen Ravn
And, as I always say in closing — remember these words …
You are the most precious gift you can give yourself. Every day look in the mirror and say, “I’m available to more good than I have experienced, realized or imagined ever before in my life!” Do this every day while you look into your own eyes.
You are special — and you are loved. You are the greatest gift you can be.
Shanti … (A sanscrit word meaning, “Let there be Peace. Peace, beautiful Peace. Peace within, Peace without. Peace in this world. Peace for all beings.”)
~~~ DBL-R
P.S. Remember, that if you have one of the “readers” — like My Yahoo, My MSN, or the Google Reader, or any of the others, you can get our blog sent to you automatically, whenever I post to it. Just click one of the buttons over on the left side to add it to your reader.
================================================================
===============================================================
If you’ve been reading here for any length of time, you know that I practice meditation every day. When I do so, I use, what I truly believe, is the most powerful personal growth and mind development tool on earth. It’s the The Holosync Solution. I knew that meditation was a vital element to nurturing my soul — to opening myself to the universe — and this tool has allowed me to achieve and receive the benefits of deep, long-term meditation — and to achieve it much more quickly. If you’re having trouble “getting meditation to work for you” – then the The Holosync Solution is what you’re looking for.
Regular, daily meditation can give you …
(1) Increased intelligence and creativity.
(2) Lower stress levels — and with that — increased ability to handle whatever the world tosses your way.
(3) New levels of self-awareness and inner peace.
(4) The healing of emotional issues at the deepest levels —
— it’s definitely worth taking the time for this powerful practice every day.
With a One-Year 100% Iron-Clad Guarantee, you can now do so with no risk whatsoever — then click any of the links that say … The Holosync Solution
— The Holosync Solution
===============================================================
|
Receive a ====================================================================
[tags]peace, inner self, The Secret, Law of Attraction, peace, dreams, spiritual energy, action, value, inner balance, enlightenment, destiny, manifestation, meditation, patience, gratitude, tolerance, acceptance, body balance, life cycle, beginnings, endings, positive thinking, ego, silence, consciousness, staying grounded, cycle of life[/tags]
