Focus on Education Act before we lose our children By: Anthony Pellegrino, Part II

This is a continuation of several suggestions which I hope will act as a reminder of our solemn duty in relating with our children:

G. Tell your child about your ambitions and plans including the ones that you never realized. Tell them how you and your spouse met and courted. They need to know who you are and what you were like as a young person. Your story Is very real and important to them.

H. If you have a personal problem, don’t take it out on your children. Don’t beat them. The scars remain for life. They are innocent. Work your problem out or seek help.

I. Be sure that you and Your spouse cooperate in relating to your children. It is both your responsibility. The roof over the house covers everyone under it. You need each other.

J. Daily show affection to your children. Let them know and feel that they arc important members of the family. Ask for their suggestions on various matters affecting the family.

K. Hug your children at least once a day. Let them hear you say that you love them. It makes them feel wanted.

L. Talk to you children about the meaning and value of schooling. Perhaps you never liked school but you understand the true value of it. Impress this fact on them. Make sure you give them a sound educational background so their future can be assured.

Equally important is how you explain and practice with them the 12 UNIVERSAL VALUES:
HONOR, HONESTLY, TRUTHFULNESS, KINDNESS, GENEROSITY, HELPFULNESS, COURAGE, CONVICTIONS, JUSTICE, RESPECT, FREEDOM, AND EQUALITY.

Add one more value to the above list: SPIRITUALITY. Teach them the belief in a Supreme Being. Encourage them to go to church with you. Make them see you believing in God.

In sharing these thoughts with you! I am not presumptuous in thinking that I have the solutions for being a good parent. The above suggestions are basic ones that any concerned parent does automatically because they love their children I share these with you in the hope that some of us will be reminded that being a parent is a difficult and timeconsuming job. It requires selfsacrifice for the sake of the children.

As parents we must do away with our egopersonality. We must learn to live with our children as a part of our lives. We are no longer alone. We have multiplied our self. The children have become an extension of us.

I have heard parents curse their children because they felt the children had become obstacles in their life. As a result these parents neglect and abuse their children. How many of us are still doing this today and refuse to accept that it is we who are the problem, not the innocent children?

Let us view our children as precious human beings who need our love and attention. There is no greater satisfying experience in this life than to see our children grow up into wonderful human beings. How empty and sad our life becomes when we lose the respect and love of our children. Don’t let it happy to you.

I will continue to hammer out this message until we fully realize that we are the real cause for the madness and insanity that is gripping so many of our youth We are the real corruptors of our youth. A child does only what an adult allows him to do–no more no less!

We can easily stop the insanity that is gripping many of our young people. Who needs more government programs to show us how to love our children? Who needs more security guards? All we need to do is reach out tonight and embrace our children and begin acting as parents.