I'm teaching three classes of mostly 9th-10th graders in Old Testament Survey, a daunting academic task if there ever was one. Last week, we covered the murder of Abel at the hands of his brother, Cain. We noted that families often deal with serious, even grievous, issues among the children. I assigned my 65+ students in this class to consider how they would parent with the assignment below. Immediately following, I have posted two points of view from a freshman boy (James) and a sophomore girl (Eden) as representative of thoughts as a future mom or dad. Both were used by permission.
The Old Testament is full of dysfunctional families, the result of animosity between siblings. (Cain/Abel, Jacob/Esau, Rachel/Leah, Jacob's sons, David's children) If/when you are a parent, describe how you would raise your children to love and respect each other while loving and respecting you as well. (HONOR THY FATHER AND MOTHER!) You may use positive or negative examples. There is a 150 word minimum and you must use complete sentences with proper grammar/capitalization. GOOD LUCK!
For the purpose of this assignment, I will have 2 children. There will be a boy named John and a girl named Rose. John is older than Rose. I would give them a comfortable life but they would need to earn it. No bullying would be permitted and no flaunting of wealth. Both John and Rose should get a job by 18 if they still live at home. I would encourage them to save money for their futures. At age 16 I would see how much money they had saved for a car and give them an equal amount of money so they could use it to buy transportation. They would be encouraged, but not forced, to go to church every week. I have seen how it affects children if their parents are really pushy when it comes to religion and that it usually causes the child resentment to fester toward the parent and might not even stay religious after they are old enough to make that decision for themselves. My children would be given a mobile phone with reasonable restrictions when they enter middle school, improving communication skills with their parents and encouraging responsibility. This should allow them proper time to learn to manage time effectively. My children would go to a private school to receive a good education. I will start a college fund for both children when they are born and will contribute to both equally. I would promote volunteering by requesting that they volunteer at soup kitchens or food banks. This will ideally instill in them the values of generosity and of helping others. They should learn at least to be proficient in a second language by senior year of high school to increase their value as an employee and as a person. Rose should join Girl Scouts while John joins Boy Scouts. They will learn many life skills that will help them in the future and provide them with entertainment in that they can make close friendships because of many shared experiences. My hopes are that by doing all of the things previously listed, John and Rose would have good lives and be good people. James, freshman
When I grow up, get married, and have kids, I’d forever want my kids to learn how to love. In order to do so, I want a structured system to where they benefit, learn, and grow from showing love. For my son(s), I would want them to think outside of the box when coming into contact with women, especially if I have any daughters. I would start teaching them this when they are very young, such as etiquette and acts of service. As for my daughter(s), I would want them to expect to be respected, but to also step down from a pedestal. Serving others will always remain important, because Jesus always did the same for us. As for everyone in the family, love will always be permitted, no matter what the situation is. There is always time to show love, and if you have time to have any sort of attitude, you also have time to be there for your brother when he needs you. Love is action; showing it makes it more and more known. Any failure in showing the love that the whole family deserves will result in a punishment that I haven’t fully worked out yet, but in my house, I will not tolerate any lack of compassion. Love begins at home, not anywhere else. If that’s where it’s starts, it can grow from there…but it also needs to stay. If it doesn’t, how do you learn to love? Love will be able to solve more than anyone will ever know… after all, God is love!
For the purpose of this assignment, I will have 2 children. There will be a boy named John and a girl named Rose. John is older than Rose. I would give them a comfortable life but they would need to earn it. No bullying would be permitted and no flaunting of wealth. Both John and Rose should get a job by 18 if they still live at home. I would encourage them to save money for their futures. At age 16 I would see how much money they had saved for a car and give them an equal amount of money so they could use it to buy transportation. They would be encouraged, but not forced, to go to church every week. I have seen how it affects children if their parents are really pushy when it comes to religion and that it usually causes the child resentment to fester toward the parent and might not even stay religious after they are old enough to make that decision for themselves. My children would be given a mobile phone with reasonable restrictions when they enter middle school, improving communication skills with their parents and encouraging responsibility. This should allow them proper time to learn to manage time effectively. My children would go to a private school to receive a good education. I will start a college fund for both children when they are born and will contribute to both equally. I would promote volunteering by requesting that they volunteer at soup kitchens or food banks. This will ideally instill in them the values of generosity and of helping others. They should learn at least to be proficient in a second language by senior year of high school to increase their value as an employee and as a person. Rose should join Girl Scouts while John joins Boy Scouts. They will learn many life skills that will help them in the future and provide them with entertainment in that they can make close friendships because of many shared experiences. My hopes are that by doing all of the things previously listed, John and Rose would have good lives and be good people. James, freshman
When I grow up, get married, and have kids, I’d forever want my kids to learn how to love. In order to do so, I want a structured system to where they benefit, learn, and grow from showing love. For my son(s), I would want them to think outside of the box when coming into contact with women, especially if I have any daughters. I would start teaching them this when they are very young, such as etiquette and acts of service. As for my daughter(s), I would want them to expect to be respected, but to also step down from a pedestal. Serving others will always remain important, because Jesus always did the same for us. As for everyone in the family, love will always be permitted, no matter what the situation is. There is always time to show love, and if you have time to have any sort of attitude, you also have time to be there for your brother when he needs you. Love is action; showing it makes it more and more known. Any failure in showing the love that the whole family deserves will result in a punishment that I haven’t fully worked out yet, but in my house, I will not tolerate any lack of compassion. Love begins at home, not anywhere else. If that’s where it’s starts, it can grow from there…but it also needs to stay. If it doesn’t, how do you learn to love? Love will be able to solve more than anyone will ever know… after all, God is love!
Eden, sophomore
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