Train up a child in the way he should go..

I think children need adults to spend time with them, really spend time. I was in the restaurant industry for many years. I would see children trying to get their parent's attention and be totally ignored. They wanted to show a picture they had colored, or ask about some food. When the parents wouldn't listen, that's when they became unruly. It was the only way they could get attention. I expect it was the same way at home, ignored to the point of frustration. I saw other families where the parents were paying a lot of attention to the children, and including them in the conversation. Those children were in general much more well behaved and a joy to have around. I know that won't take care of all the problems, but giving a child a lot of love and attention will certainly help. It takes time and effort, but it is well worth it.

At an early age, children should be guided to communicate freely with their parents. As I see it, most problems with kids happens when the kids are unable to have any sort of conversation with their parents. As the child develops confidence to talk with the parent I foresee minimal problems. Parents can encourage this by contantly talking with their kids and listening to them on all occasions.

I personally think that human is human. Humans can be taught but not trained. I believe the only way to teach our children is to not do the things that we don't want them to do. And to really communicate with them. We tend to talk to them, at them and around them. I really believe in fate, all things can't be perfect. Children have minds of their own and the older they get the stronger their thoughts get and the more they disobey. Whether you spank them, take things away from them, as they get older it doesn't matter. Communicate with them. Make it stick.

You're so right, 012401. We, society as whole, cannot deny the attitude of some of our youths today. I think the Biblical phrase "Train up a child in the way he should go" is one of the best wisdoms a parent can follow. Training up a child in the way he should go, for those parents who truly understand what these means, should be to give to their child(ren) the tools and skills they need to be successful in life. Now, when some people read this, they may think "successful" mean financially successful. Not so. I believe being successful in life to be many things: a contributing member of society, positive and real relationships, exhibiting and practicing empathy, rallying for justice and fairness, and speaking out for what they believe in with respect and fairness, just to name a few. We, as adults and parents, know that these attributes can only lead to happiness...and isn't that what we want for our children? I want all seven of my children to be happy. For each of them, that means something different. I respect that. I'm blessed in that my adult children (two of them are adults now), are not prejudice and have a diverse group of friends. They understand the importance of kindness, contributing to society, being fair, empathy, and respect. Are the perfect? Heck no....they have just as many faults as the rest of us. But for the most part, I feel they are using the tools and skills I gave them. Giving them these tools and skills, whatever a parent feels those need to be based on individual needs, is all we can do. Our children must then decide on their own to utilize those skills and tools...you know what they say, you can lead a horse to water.....