Caution! Kids at Work.

Oh, kids these days!  They don't know what it's like to walk uphill 2 miles in a snowstorm to get home after school!   

In all seriousness, what about kids these days?  Our kids are being exposed to more and more mature matter all the time.  Sex is everywhere.  Morality is questionable at best.  The world is trying to give them the answer to happiness, which typically revolves around financial success and yoga.  Kids are going to face it at some point or another.  But, why aren't they more mature because of it?  That's because they aren't any older than they used to be.  Does that make sense?  A 15 year old is still 15, regardless of what they are or are not exposed to. 

Kids may be more technically savvy.  They may be able to text message, surf the net and check facebook like champs.  However, what about work ethic?  If you ask me, this is where kids are lacking.  Where is the value of hard work being taught to these kids?  It's almost as if we think that because the world is making them so "mature" that we think they are going to figure it out on their own.  Take a look at kids these days.  Most of them are raised in homes where they have little to no responsibility other than keeping their room clean, if that!  Everything is provided for them and they are not afforded the opportunity to FAIL.

Why are so many of us afraid of teaching our children the value of hard work?  Why are we afraid to let our kids fail?  I can tell you what my fears are.  I fear my kids will be upset with me.  I fear the disappointed looks on their faces when they don't get their way or when things are emotionally hard on them.  But...GET OVER IT(myself included).  Our kids need us to be parents, not their friends.  They need US to teach them the value of hard work.  They need chores and responsibility for their own choices.  It may be hard on the child and the parent, but that's life.

If we don't allow our children to fail, how will they realize the strength they can gain from God and their own perseverance?

“But forget all that—it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland."
Isaiah 43:18-19 (NLT)

If we don't teach our children the value of hard work, what will their lives turn out to look like?

"We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it;"  1 Corinthians 4:12 NIV

God has a reward for those who work hard.  Do we want that for our children?  Or do we want them to learn the hard way and flounder in the real world, or have them end up living with us at the age of 30?  No thanks.  I want my kids to earn their way in this world through their own hard work and dedication, not rely on handouts. 

"Look! The best thing that I myself have seen, which is pretty, is that one should eat and drink and see good for all his hard work with which he works hard under the sun for the number of the days of his life that the [true] God has given him, for that is his portion. - Proverbs 5:18"

We cannot deny our children their God given right to responsibility, hard work and perseverance.  God has put us in charge of these little humans.  It's a big responsibility and we don't always do it right, but we need to do our best.  We must always remember that we are raising future adults.  It's time we make the hard choices that being your child's PARENT requires.  Through responsibility and sometimes hardship, your child can learn SO much about themselves and this world we live in under the sun.  It will also lead them closer to a relationship with the One that matters most. 

And don't let us EVER forget....they won't be young forever.  Do your best and for goodness sakes, enjoy it.